SALEM, Ore. – Stevie Schlabach recorded a double-double and five Beacons finished in double-digit scoring as the visiting Bushnell University men's basketball team defeated Willamette University 117-83 in a non-conference contest on Tuesday night.
 
Bushnell (1-2) shot 60.3% from the floor, including 40% from three-point range on the night to earn its first win of the season. The Beacons took a 13-12 lead five minutes in and never trailed after that, leading by as many as 34 points at the final buzzer.
 
Head Coach Eddie Alexander said, "I'm proud of how we executed the things we worked on in practice yesterday. Stevie did a great job with a double-double and Kaden's efficiency was superb. I am also very excited about our performance at the free throw line tonight."
 
The Beacons made 85.3% (29-34) of their free throws, including 7-of-8 from Logan Sand. "I am proud of our team's fight and bounce back from the tough weekend in California," said Sand. "We played tough from start to finish and had our season-high 21 assists. We have to take that into this weekend."
 
Kaden Sand added 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field and had a team-high six assists. He went 9-for-10 from the free throw line.
 
Schlabach (pictured) recorded 11 rebounds to go along with his 25 points to secure the double-double. He shot 10-for-16 from the floor with a pair of three pointers. "I thought we played really good team ball tonight," said Schlabach. "It was a good first win for us this season."
 
Freshmen Luke Smith and Jarrett Bryant both had strong nights for the Beacons. Smith scored 18 points and finished with a team-high three steals, while Bryant recorded 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting. Drayton Caoile added 12 points to put five Beacons in double-digit scoring.
 
Nico Wolff had a solid defensive showing, grabbing 10 rebounds and three blocks.
 
Willamette (0-1) shot 37.7% from the field on the game. Ryder Hsiung was the leading scorer for the Bearcats, securing 14 points off the bench. Cedric Coward finished with a double-double, recording 12 points and 10 rebounds. Coward also had five blocks.
 
Up next, Bushnell has an exhibition game at NCAA Division II Northwest Nazarene University on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.