Whitney Rodriguez
65
Oregon Tech OIT
67
Winner Simpson (Calif.) SIMP
Oregon Tech OIT
65
Final
67
Simpson (Calif.) SIMP
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Oregon Tech OIT 10 18 18 19 65
Simpson (Calif.) SIMP 23 11 23 10 67

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women's Basketball Knocks Off Defending Cascade Champs

REDDING, Calif. - Whitney Rodriguez buried two free throws with :00.9 remaining, and Simpson downed Oregon Tech, 67-65, Saturday at the Heritage Center. The Owls are the defending Cascade Conference champions and qualified for the NAIA national tournament a year ago. SU dropped an 80-51 decision in Klamath Falls earlier this season.

It was the Red Hawks, however, that played as the more confident team on this day. Simpson hit all seven of its first field goal attempts of the game, including three from behind the three-point line and built a 23-10 advantage by the end of the first quarter. After finishing 0-17 from deep a game ago, the Red Hawks scorched the nets for a dozen three-pointers en route to the victory.

Esther Wofford led the Red Hawks with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Fallon Greenhaw connected on 5-7 from the arc to account for all of her 15 points. Rodriguez, who spent most of the second half on the bench in foul trouble, entered the game with under a minute to play and made a defensive block to give SU the ball with just over 10 seconds remaining. She then received the ball in the post and was fouled to set up the game-winning charity tosses. The SU center finished with 10 points. Both she and Greenhaw added six rebounds. Kelsie Jurin added nine points and a game-high six assists off the bench.

OIT's defense did force 22 Simpson turnovers, but the Red Hawks dominated the glass, 38-28, to offset the possession advantage. 

The Owls slowly chipped into what was at one point in the first quarter a 15-point Simpson lead and eventually tied the game at 65 with :46 left on a Karly Leveque layup. Leveque made a subsequent steal to give OIT the ball, but Rodriguez controlled the paint with a block of Megan Whetstone's shot which bounced off the OIT guard and gave SU the ball.

Tess Armstrong led OIT with 14 points. Whetstone and Leveque also finished in double figures with 13 and 10, respectively.

Simpson remains at home Tuesday, Dec. 1 against another Cascade power, Southern Oregon. Tip time at the Heritage Center is set for 5:30 p.m.
 
Print Friendly Version