Foresters Upset No. 8 Oregon Tech, Advance to NAIA Second Round

MCKENZIE, Tenn. - The 9th-seeded Huntington women's basketball team punched its ticket to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament presented by Ballogy Friday night with a gritty 57-52 upset victory over 8th-seeded Oregon Tech inside Crisp Arena on the campus of Bethel as part of the McKenzie Bracket in Tennessee.

Just like the men's tournament, opening round action saw several lower seeds flip the script, with nine teams knocking off higher-seeded opponents. The Foresters were one of those teams, outplaying their seed to keep their season alive.

Friday's contest marked the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Both squads entered the tournament as at-large selections with nearly identical resumes.

Oregon Tech came in at 19-11 overall in its ninth NAIA tournament appearance after finishing fifth in the Cascade Conference. Huntington, carrying an 18-11 record, placed fourth in the Crossroads League standings and was making its eighth NAIA postseason appearance and second straight trip to the national tournament under Coach Darby Maggard. During the regular season, the Foresters collected four wins over nationally ranked opponents.

Huntington wasted little time making its presence known.

The Foresters opened the game with the first 10 points, six coming from Annaka Nelson, to set the tone early. Oregon Tech eventually settled in and edged ahead 14-13 by the end of the first quarter. Defense ruled the second period as both teams struggled offensively. Each side scored in single digits during the frame with the Owls clinging to a narrow 23-21 halftime advantage.

Coach Maggard turned to Kyndell Jochim to open the second half, and the sharpshooter immediately delivered. Jochim knocked down two three-pointers and added a basket inside within the first 2:30 of the third quarter to swing the momentum back in Huntington's favor at 29-27.

The Foresters held a slim lead for much of the quarter while Oregon Tech remained within striking distance. The Owls reclaimed the advantage late in the frame and entered the fourth quarter leading 48-44, despite Huntington draining four of the six three-pointers in the period including triples from Kyndra Sheets and Peyton Hartsough in the final 90 seconds.

Jochim again sparked the Foresters early in the fourth by draining her third three of the half to reclaim the lead once again. Oregon Tech briefly answered with a putback to take what proved to be its final lead of the night at 48-47.

Coming out of a timeout, Addie Shank delivered the go-ahead bucket with a layup to put Huntington in front 49-48 with just over seven minutes remaining.

Points were hard to come by down the stretch, but Huntington executed when it mattered most. The Foresters converted three of four free throws before the Owls pulled within two. Huntington's post duo then sealed the win as Shank and Liv Raby combined for the Foresters' final five points while holding Oregon Tech to just two in the final three minutes.

Huntington finished the game shooting 33.3 percent from the floor (18-for-54) and 28.6 percent from three-point range (6-for-21) while converting 15-of-22 free throws. The Foresters limited the Owls to 28.4 percent shooting (19-for-67) and just 18.2 percent from beyond the arc (4-for-22).

Shank paced the Foresters with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting while adding six rebounds and two steals. Jochim provided a huge spark off the bench with 12 points, highlighted by her three second-half three-pointers.

Sheets finished with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Nelson chipped in eight points. Raby anchored the interior with eight rebounds, four assists and six points, and Lauryn Merritt added five boards off the bench.

For Oregon Tech, Ayla Marston led all Owl scorers with 16 points, while Tatum Schmerbach added 12 points and nine rebounds. Olivia Sprague contributed 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in the losing effort.

With the win, Huntington advances to the second round Saturday at 5:00 p.m. where the Foresters will face top-seeded and host Bethel with a trip to the final site in Sioux City on the line as one of 16 teams continue their Hunt for the Red Banner.

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 181 NAIA All-America honors and 631 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. Huntington has a top quartile ranking in the 2026 U.S. News Best Regional Universities Midwest Rankings.