Mail Tribune Sports - Second-half rally lifts Raiders

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Second-half rally lifts Raiders ASHLAND � Southern Oregon earned another shot at No. 3 Oregon Tech when the Raiders exploded for 56 second-half points Wednesday night en route to a 94-85 Cascade Conference quarterfinal victory over Evergreen State at McNeal Pavilion. The Raiders travel to Klamath Falls Saturday night to play Oregon Tech for the fourth time this season in the conference semifinals. Junior forward Chad Paris came off the bench to score 16 of his team-high 22 points in the second half as the Raiders (18-12) fought back from a 51-42 deficit with 17:38 to play. The Geoduck�s Andre Stewart tied an NAIA record (shared by six players) by converting all 18 of his free throw attempts as he scored 29 points. Overall, Evergreen connected on 36 of 42 free throws and hit 21 of 22 in the first half. "We had a lot of fouls and there was no flow to the game," SOU coach Brian McDermott said. Ultimately, SOU�s defense tightened up and the Raiders were able to score off their transition game. "We spread them out and started running our stuff," McDermott said. SOU erased its second-half deficit with a 14-4 run capped by Paris� driving layup at the 12:29 mark. The Raiders then took command with a 17-6 spurt that left them with a 76-68 advantage with 3:48 to play. McDermott said he�s confident his team will rise to the challenge after falling 81-75 in overtime at home to the Owls last Saturday. "We feel very confident playing OIT, we feel like we match up well," McDermott said. "All three games have been played at our tempo and if we play at our speed, I feel like we have a chance to beat them."   Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.