KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – With 4:23 remaining in the third quarter of tonight's Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament quarterfinal matchup, the Corban University Women's Basketball team had rallied to tie the contest at 40-40 after trailing by as many as 12 points throughout the first half. However, an explosive fourth quarter of offense by the No. 22-ranked Lady Owls of Oregon Tech saw the Warriors' 2024-25 season come to a close in the Klamath Basin following their 69-52 final score in the opening round of conference postseason.
"I don't think it will sink in for a while that this season is over," Corban head coach Kylie Frizell shared in the final contest of her inaugural season as head coach for the Warriors. "This team is just so special, and I am so grateful that I have had the privilege of coaching them. Tonight, we just couldn't get the stops when we needed them most. We got good looks and unfortunately couldn't knock them down. Jozie Ramos had a great game tonight for OIT, and we wish them luck as they move forward in the postseason."
Despite multiple opportunities for the Lady Owls (23-6) to run away with this contest early thanks to their consistency from in the paint, the Warriors (11-18) fought back on every occasion to pull within just a couple of possessions but could never find the last bit of momentum they needed to overcome a 32.1% shooting performance on the night compared to 51% for the host OIT.
Trailing by seven points at the halftime break, the Navy and Gold opened the third quarter on a 5-0 run with redshirt sophomore guard Jenna Albrecht splashing only the second three-pointer of the night thus far for Corban, resulting in an early timeout for Oregon Tech. The Lady Owls converted on a pair of free throws to grow the lead back to two possessions, yet redshirt junior guard Tori Younker answered back immediately with a step-back three to cut the lead to just one. The two CCC foes exchanged baskets for the next several minutes before senior guard Gemma LaVergne hit a contested shot from deep of her own to knot the game up at 40-all, the first tie since the opening tip in a matchup that Corban had never led to this point of the ballgame.
OIT ended the third quarter on a 7-2 run to lead by five entering the final quarter of action, which was well within striking distance of the Navy and Gold and yet the Lady Owls' most successful offensive performance of the evening was unfortunately right around the corner. After a 70% second period of success for Tech wasn't enough to hold off the Warriors, a 22-point fourth quarter effort with nine free throws and only their second of two three-pointers hit on the night resulted in the Corban's postseason run to come to an early end in the conference quarterfinal round.
Albrecht finished with a team-high 12 points for Corban, with senior guard Alyssa Wyllie right behind her at 11 points for the final collegiate women's basketball outing of her career. Sophomore guard Lizzy Bennett pitched in five points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Oregon Tech forward Jozie Ramos was unstoppable tonight for the hometown team, as she dropped a career-best 32 points on 12-for-15 field goal shooting along with seven rebounds to propel the Lady Owls to victory. Guard Tatum Schmerbach locked up an impressive 12-point and 10-rebound double-double while also dishing out seven assists and registering five blocks in an all-around effort. Ramos and Schmerbach combined for 44 of the team's 69 points, representing nearly two-thirds of the OIT offense on Danny Miles Court.
Coach Frizell graduates four senior student-athletes from the 2024-25 roster and will return Younker from her starting lineup to lead the young lineup in 2025-26 that's comprised of 12 returners. The Warriors reached double-digit win totals for the second time since their 2019-20 postseason that reached the semifinal round of the CCC Tournament and will look to build upon their success over the past season following Coach Frizell's first year as head coach of the program.
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