HELENA, Mont. – The Warriors have made their way to Montana, as the 2024 NAIA Opening Round gets underway in 24 hours from the campus of Carroll College. After a record-breaking season, the Warriors are hoping there are many games ahead of them, as they are two wins away from their first-ever trip to Sioux City, Iowa.
 
Ahead of Jessup are the Owls of Oregon Tech, the No. 22 ranked program in the NAIA and the 7-seed in the Cramer Quadrant.
 
The Owls, an at-large selection, come into the tournament with an overall record of 26-4. Oregon Tech last played on March 1, a 75-60 loss to Lewis-Clark State in the CCC Tournament semifinals.
 
Jessup, led by coach Corey Laster in his third season, won a program-record 22 games this year. The Warriors received votes in four straight polls throughout the season but lost in the first round of the GSAC Tournament against Arizona Christian.
 
OIT averages 75.4 PPG and is outscoring opponents by an average of 14.5 PPG this season. Guard Olivia Sprague is leading the Owls on the offensive end with her average of 17.5 PPG. Sprague and Tatum Schmerbach lead an Oregon Tech team that averages 44 RPG as the duo both pull down a game average of 7.0.
 
Oregon Tech's 2023-24 schedule featured ten games against common opponents on Jessup's schedule. The Owls went 9-1 in those contests, including wins over GSAC programs Hope International (79-68) and Menlo (77-66).
 
The Warriors swept HIU in the regular season and split their two games with Menlo. Jessup and OIT both picked up non-conference wins over Cal Maritime and Simpson, while the Warriors also went 2-1 against CCC schools Bushnell, Northwest, and Southern Oregon.
 
Friday will be the 24th meeting between the Warriors and Owls since Jessup moved to Rocklin. Oregon Tech is 17-6 in those games, but the Warriors have shown some success in recent matchups, as they are winners in four of the last six meetings, including a 66-62 victory inside Warrior Arena last season.
 
Guard Andrea Jovicevic, an All-GSAC selection this year, scored a career-high 28 points in that 2022 meeting with the Owls.
 
Jessup's other All-GSAC selection, forward Makaila Napoleon, will be taking on her former team. Napoleon began her collegiate career with the Owls in 2019, and in her only appearance as an opponent of OIT, Napoleon scored 18.
 
The winner of Friday's game will advance to the NAIA Opening Round Championship, where they will play either Carroll (Mont.) or Embry-Riddle (Ariz.). That game would begin at 6:30 p.m. (PST) on Saturday, with the winner earning the right to cut down the nets and advance to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa.
 
Friday's game is scheduled to tip-off at 4:30 p.m. (PST) from the PE Center on the campus of Carroll College. A win would make Jessup history, as in two previous trips to the NAIA National Tournament, the Warriors are 0-2.
 
Fans can stream the game, for free, HERE.
   
Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).