Box Score KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Returning to Cascade Collegiate Conference men's basketball action after almost three weeks of holiday inactivity, the Multnomah University Lions dropped a high-scoring 100-90 affair to the host and 19
th-ranked Oregon Institute of Technology Owls Friday night here at Danny Miles Court.
The two teams battled on even terms through the game's first nine minutes. Multnomah took its largest lead of 10-5 on a jumper by
Brett Blackstock at 17:33, but Tech went on a 13-2 run, starting and ending with three-pointers by Seth Erickson, to go up 18-12 with 13:27 left in the half. Back-to-back threes by
Darius Redrick drew the Lions back into an 18-18 tie with 11:12 to go, the third and final deadlock of the game.
Over the next nine minutes, the Owls seized control by out-scoring the Lions 30-8, building a 22-point margin of 48-26 with 4:12 remaining in the half. A 10-2 run over the next two minutes, capped by threes from
Trey Fountain and Blackstock, trimmed the Lions' deficit to 14 at 50-36, but OIT maintained a 60-41 advantage at the break.
In the second half, the Owls built their lead to as much as 26 points six times, the last at 86-60 on a layup by Zach Bernards with 11:39 left in the game. A 26-12 run, ending with another trey by Fountain, brought Multnomah within 12 at 98-86 with 6:07 to go, and the Lions got within 12 three more times before time ran out.
--- By the Numbers: Fountain led all scorers with 26 points, nailing 7-of-12 from beyond the arc, while Redrick tossed in 22 and
Ben Grandle scored 11. The Lions shot .476 (35-75) from the field, including .436 (17-39) on threes.
Jon Viles had a game-high eight rebounds as Multnomah edged OIT 40-37 on the boards, and Redrick had five assists.
Five players reached double digits in scoring for Tech, with Erickson and Harrison Steiger tallying 22 points apiece. Tyler Hieb added 18 points, Garrett Albrecht 13, and Andrew Weber 10. The Owls hit .568 (42-74) from the floor, .600 (12-20) on threes. Steiger and Albrecht had six rebounds each, and Scotty Burge handed out 10 assists.
Multnomah is now 4-9 on the season and 1-3 in the conference, while Oregon Tech is 11-4 overall and 4-1 in the CCC.
--- Next: Multnomah continues its road trip Saturday at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, tipping off at 7:30 p.m. … Oregon Tech hosts Warner Pacific College Saturday at 7:30 p.m. … Both games are CCC contests and will follow CCC women's games at 5:30 p.m.
