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Oregon Tech runs away from Raiders By Greg Stiles ASHLAND � The Southern Oregon University Raiders bumped, scraped, hit 3-pointers � and just about anything else they could think of Saturday � in battling No. 4 Oregon Tech to a stalemate through 40 regulation minutes. Then came the fateful five minutes of overtime of their men�s basketball game. The Raiders had no answer as the Owls scored the first 10 points and drained 15 of 16 free throws in overtime to fend off Southern Oregon�s bid for a second upset at McNeal Pavilion this season, 81-75. "When it comes to overtime, our team has played tough all year," said Oregon Tech senior Josh Woodson, a former North Medford player. "We just think of the overtime as ours. I don�t think we�ve lost one all year." The Owls (28-4, 16-2 Cascade) certainly didn�t leave much room for the Raiders to err in the extra session. SOU (17-12, 11-7 Cascade) drew 31 personal fouls � 23 against the starting five � as Martin DeGroot, Shavon Haynes and Tom Chipps all departed with five personals. DeGroot was the first to go with 4:39 left in overtime. Greg Regan, who was 11 of 12 at the charity stripe and 8-for-8 in the OT, started Oregon Tech�s clinching run with two free throws. LaMont Swinson knocked down two more, then he and Kyle Killingbeck each tallied putbacks before Woodson� steal with 1:19 to play led to two more free throws. "We relaxed and knocked �em down when we had to," Woodson said. "Once we were up, we were just going to take care of the ball and get back on defense. Those free throws carried us." That point wasn�t lost on Southern Oregon coach Brian McDermott. "We were forced to beat them my making baskets, and they were able to beat us by shooting free throws," McDermott said. "And making free throws is a lot easier (than field goals) because you don�t have someone leaning on you." In all, the Owls connected on 35 of 40 free throws, while the Raiders connected on 11 of 18 shots at the line. The Raiders managed to make a run at Oregon Tech in the final 66 seconds as Chad Paris drilled two 3-pointers and James Wightman hit another. But they couldn�t close the gap to less than four points. "It seems the team that catches up when you go into overtime is the team with the momentum," said OIT coach Danny Miles, who is now 651-303 at the end of his 29th regular season. "We were the ones fortunate enough to get into overtime, and that gave us a psychological edge." The Owls also got the mental edge at the end of first half when they outscored the Raiders 11-1 in the final 3:23 to take a 26-26 lead at intermission. After Southern Oregon jumped in front 17-7 at the start thanks to Chipps� hot hand, Oregon Tech went on a 29-9 run. "We had two huge defensive breakdowns where we allowed them to hit two 3s," McDermott said. "That should not have happened." But the Raiders fought back and regained the lead, 51-50, on Haynes� baseline drive and shot with four hands in his face. Chipps, who led SOU with 22 points, gave the Raiders a 62-59 advantage with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2:06 left in regulation. Regan got one point back on a free throw and Killingbeck followed with two free throws when Jeff Tachney fouled him with 15 second left. The Raiders had two shots in the final 15 seconds, but Chipps� jumper and a tip-in failed to fall. "We just didn�t make any plays at the end," Haynes said. "Both teams played tough. But the ball went in the bucket for them." Southern Oregon defeated the Owls 66-62 on Nov. 25 in a non-conference game but dropped a conference game at Klamath Falls, 53-45, on Jan. 10. Although the contest produced some hard knocks, it wasn�t as rough as the earlier game east of the Cascades, according to SOU�s Matt Zosel. "They�re certainly bigger inside," Zosel said. "But I thought we�d be able to do a better job of offensive rebounding. Even without Elliott Marshall (OIT�s top rebounder), they rebounded well." The Raiders begin the Cascade Conference playoffs Wednesday at home against the Eastern Oregon-Evergreen winner. OREGON TECH (28-4, 16-2) Matthews 1-6 2-2 5, Regan 0-3 11-12 11, Swinson 4-13 4-4 13, Killingbeck 9-12 6-6 24, Carlson 1-5 5-6 7, Johnston 3-7 1-2 9, Struve 0-1 2-2 2, Day 2-3 0-0 4, Woodson 1-2 4-6 6. Totals: 21-52 35-40 81. SOUTHERN OREGON (17-12, 11-7) Haynes 2-4 2-2 6, Caughell 2-5 2-4 6, DeGroot 2-6 2-3 6, Tacheny 7-10 1-2 15, Chipps 9-16 3-5 22, Wightman 3-7 0-0 8, Barnes 1-6 1-2 4, Paris 2-4 0-0 6, Zosel 1-2 0-0 2, Chaney 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 29-62 11-18 75. Halftime�Oregon Tech 36, Southern Oregon 26. 3-Point goals�Oregon Tech 4-11 (Matthews 1-2, Swinson 1-4, Carlson 0-1, Johnston 2-3, Struve 0-1), Southern Oregon 6-20 (Caughell 0-1, Chipps 1-5, Wightman 2-6, Barnes 1-4, Paris 2-3, Chaney 0-1). Rebounds�Oregon Tech 35 (Carlson 10), Southern Oregon 34 (DeGroot 6). Assists�Oregon Tech 16 (Woodson 5), Southern Oregon 16 (Caughell 4, DeGroot 4). Personal fouls�Oregon Tech 15, Southern Oregon 31. A�1,412. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.