OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The Evergreen State College led 45-35 at halftime, but #21-ranked (NAIA) Oregon Tech rallied to defeat the Geoducks 88-83 in a Cascade Collegiate Conference men's basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 24. Tony Frohlich-Fair (Sr., W) led Evergreen with 33 points, as he scored 30 or more points for the fourth time in the last seven games.

Frohlich-Fair was 13 for 23 on field goals, hit one 3-pointer, and was 6 for 9 at the free throw line. He also grabbed six rebounds and earned a team-high four assists. He is the leading scorer in the CCC with 25.4 points per game.

Bradley Graham (Sr., G) contributed 22 points for the Geoducks, as he put through 9 of 17 field goals. Graham led Evergreen with four steals. Kenzel Massey (So., G) tallied 10 points and connected on two 3-pointers. He registered two steals and matched Frohlich-Fair with six boards. Zach Jefferson (Sr., G) added eight points and two steals. Kohrey Bridges (Sr., F) produced five points and five rebounds, while Jacob Laff (So., W) finished with five points, four boards, and three assists.

Dakota Reber paced the Owls with 26, points and 10 rebounds, while Jackson Cooper narrowly missed a triple-double with 20 points, 12 boards, and eight assists to go with four steals. Reber was 11 of 14 from the field, while Cooper hit 7 of 9 field goal attempts. Gylan Payne and Owen Nathan each provided the Owls with 11 points, with Nathan also recording six rebounds and six assists. 

With the win at the Costantino Recreation Center, Oregon Tech improved to 15-5 on the season, 10-2 in the CCC. Evergreen slipped to 3-11 overall, 3-9 in the CCC.

Evergreen trailed 7-6 with 15:18 left in the first quarter but went on a 10-0 offensive surge to grab a 16-7 lead following a layup by Frohlich-Fair with 13:29 on the clock. The Geoducks held a 24-15 advantage on a jumper by Frohlich-Fair at the 9:50 mark and extended the lead to 16 points at 34-18 on a 3-pointer by Massey with 7:17 remaining.

The Owls cut the margin to 39-35 with a 17-5 run, ending with a 3-pointer by Reber with 2:26 to go. Evergreen tallied the final six points of the half on a free throw by Frohlich-Fair, a 3-pointer from Jefferson, and a layup by Graham to take a 45-35 lead into the intermission.

Graham opened the second half with a jumper for Evergreen, but the Owls countered with a 10-2 run to pull within 49-45 on a layup by Reber with 16:25 remaining. The Geoducks soon took a seven-point lead at 54-47 on a 3-pointer by Massey and at 56-49 on a layup by Graham at the 15:03 mark. A bit later, Graham completed a traditional 3-point play to give Evergreen a 59-53 lead advantage with 12:38 left.

OIT earned the next 15 points, including one 3-pointer each by Nathan, Reber, and Grant Tull. Reber's trifecta gave the Owls their first lead of the second half at 61-59 as the clock reached 11:38. The run ended with the Owls holding a 68-59 lead with 10 minutes to play.

Evergreen cut the deficit to five points at 76-71 on a layup by Frohlich-Fair with 5:33 left. OIT increased the lead to 82-73 following a 3-point basket by Jared Sucher with 4:16 to go.

The Geoducks got as close as 87-83 after Jefferson hit a 3-pointer with 53 seconds to play. Jefferson missed a 3-pointer 16 seconds later, and OIT scored the game's final point on a free throw by Cooper with 19 seconds on the clock.

For the game, Evergreen shot 46.3% from the field (31 of 67), while hitting 7 of 21 attempts from 3-point range. The Geoducks were 14 for 17 on free throws. Oregon Tech made 36 of 57 field goals (63.2%), including 8 of 16 on 3-pointers. The Owls sank just 10 of 21 free throws (47.6%). OIT gained a 36-31 rebounding edge, but Evergreen forced the Owls into 22 turnovers, while the Geoducks lost the ball 17 times.

Evergreen will take on Corban University at the CRC on Friday, Jan. 30. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PST.