Kirkland, WA - The Northwest women's basketball team fall to Oregon Tech's strong rebound game, 76-66. 

The Eagles did their very best against the top team of the conference and one of the best in the nation the previous night despite coming up just short in the end. Their next opponent, the Owls, fared better as they bested their opponents, the Geoducks, the night before. 

The Owls are the fourth-best team in the nation in rebounds, which has allowed them to dominate the whole season, and it was no different here. The Owls managed 52 rebounds on the afternoon—22 offensive and 30 defensive. In addition, the Owls dominated in the paint, scoring 48 points. The Eagles could only muster 24 points in the rebound. 

The Eagles had a fantastic afternoon on the free throw line, shooting 14 of 15 (93.3%), and they were excellent in defending the three-point shots, limiting the Owls to 14.3%. The Eagles also strung together a 12-point run in the third that brought the game back within view. Unfortunately, the Eagles couldn't match up with one of the best rebounding teams in the country.  

Ellie De Waard stood out with a double-double, putting up 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Kaleah Medeiros followed up with 14 points. Tatum Schmerbach of the Owls tallied a double-double of her own with 16 points and 12 rebounds. 

"Quite frankly, I'm really pleased on the weekend," said Head Coach Randall Edens regarding the past two games. "We really battled well, and today was no different. Being down 21 late in the third to go on that 12-0 run to close it to 9 was important, and then we hung in through the entirety of the fourth.

"We've gone through the toughest stretch in the league, facing three top-25 teams in the country in a row and improved along the way. Can't wait to tackle a BIG week ahead next week, but we need to continue to try and get healthy through the sickness that's been navigating both squads."