sahlinger
Al Case, Ashland Daily Photo
61
Winner Southern Oregon SOU 14-0, 7-0 CCC
48
Oregon Tech OIT 11-5, 5-2 CCC
Winner
Southern Oregon SOU
14-0, 7-0 CCC
61
Final
48
Oregon Tech OIT
11-5, 5-2 CCC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Southern Oregon SOU 16 14 23 8 61
Oregon Tech OIT 8 15 11 14 48

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | SOU Sports Information

Raiders clamp down on Owls for 61-48 win

KLAMATH FALLS – For at least one half Tuesday night, first-year Southern Oregon women's basketball coach Alex Carlson was reminded of the home-court advantage he enjoyed during his playing days at Oregon Tech.

But while the second-place Owls and a partisan crowd at Danny Miles Court slowed the 12th-ranked Raiders' offense temporarily, their defense still hasn't slumped. SOU's 61-48 win was largely the product of 24-percent shooting by the Owls, making them the fifth straight Raider opponent to land under 30.

Carlson, the only coach in SOU history to win even his first game at the helm, has led the Raiders to a program-record 14 straight wins to start the season, and they're 7-0 in Cascade Collegiate Conference action going into Sunday's game at Walla Walla (Wash.). SOU has won 22 consecutive regular-season contests dating back to last season.

OIT dropped to 11-5 and 5-2 in the circuit.

The game was the Raiders' worst from the field of the season. After entering the night with the second-highest scoring average in the nation (89 points), they hit just 31 percent of their shot and top scorers Ashley Claussen (5 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) and Carly Meister (10 points, 7 rebounds) were held 20 points below their combined season clips.

Demi Sahlinger led all scorers with a career-high 11 points, including two of SOU's five 3-pointers. Autumn Durand had nine points and 11 rebounds, and Toria Bradford contributed eight points and six boards off the bench.

OIT's game-long challenges against SOU's defensive pressure were apparent early. The Owls went 7 minutes, 41 seconds before their first bucket and committed eight of their 16 turnovers in the first quarter.

With 2:35 left in the half, SOU led 24-12. OIT guard Ashleigh Vandenbrink's two 3-pointers keyed a spurt, though, that cut it to 30-23 by half.

The Raiders finally found their touch in the third quarter, outscoring the Owls 23-11. Sahlinger's 3-pointer on a second chance created by Bradford made it 39-26, and a Majerle Reeves triple two possessions later pushed the lead to 16. SOU enjoyed its largest lead, 53-34, when Bradford was knocked down driving the lane but converted a basket-and-one with 1:03 left in the stanza.

The Owls never got closer than 10 in the fourth. They were led by Vandenbrink's 11 points and six rebounds, and Megan Whetstone and Morgan Roberts scored eight apiece.

The Raiders had lost four straight at OIT by an average of 23 points before winning the last two.

SOU and Saint Xavier (Ill.) are the only undefeated teams left at the NAIA Div. II level. Despite that – and the fact that the Raiders lead the nation in margin of victory, winning their first six CCC games by an average of 36.7 points – they moved up just one spot in Tuesday's latest NAIA Top 25 poll, which was the first released in four weeks.
 
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