March 15, 2008

Point Lookout, Mo. - The Final Four is set as 11^th seed Oregon Tech defeats unseeded Grace College (Ind.), 81-70, in the final game of the night. The 17^th-annual event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of the College of the Ozarks (Mo.). 

 Grace took the early lead (7-4) behind a pair of three pointers by junior forward Michael Wienhorst. The Lancers pushed their advantage up to seven before Oregon Tech went on a 10-2 run to pull ahead, 18-17.  The lead exchanged hands over the next five minutes until the Hustlin' Owls pulled ahead and went into the locker room with a 30-27 lead. Both teams struggled from the perimeter as they combined to shoot 3-for-16 from beyond the arc.

Oregon Tech improved the lead to seven in the opening minutes of the second half and extended it to15 (55-40) behind a pair of field goals by Ryan Fiegi and one by Josh Wetzler with 11:01 left to play. Grace made one last charge with under three minutes to play when senior Kyle Johnson scored five straight points to cut it to eight, 71-63. The Hustlin' Owls were just too strong down the stretch and clinched the win an offensive put-back by Fiegi and some clutch free throw shooting.

Ryan Fiegi led all scorers with 23 points, 15 coming in the second half. The senior shot 9-of-14 from the field and also pulled down nine rebounds and dished out five assists. Josh Wetzler recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Hustlin' Owls held Grace to 19% (5/26) from the three point line.

Four Lancers scored in double figures, led by Kyle Johnson with 16 points, 12 in the second half. David Swanson added 14 points and 13 rebounds and Eric Gaff put in 13. Grace won the battle of the boards, 40-36, but struggled from the field shooting 40%.

Oregon Tech, now 29-6, advances to the Final Four for the fourth time in school history. The Hustlin' Owls lost in the championship game in 1998, won the championship in 2004 and lost in the semifinals in 2005. They will play defending champion and second seed MidAmerica Nazarene at 8:00 pm on Monday, March 17. The 32-team, single-elimination tournament concludes on Tuesday, March 18.