Bushnell winter sports will be in full stride this weekend with men's and women's basketball playing at home and indoor track & field making their season debut in Portland.
 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (12-8 Overall, 9-3 CCC)
Friday, 1/21 vs. Warner Pacific, 5:30 pm (Livestats|Video Stream)
Saturday, 1/22 vs. Multnomah, 3:00 pm (Livestats|Video Stream)
 
The second half of the CCC slate begins in earnest this weekend and the Beacons find themselves right in the thick of things, currently sitting in third place and a game and a half out of first. The Beacons split their weekend on the road last week, claiming a Covid-related forfeit win over Walla Walla before falling to Lewis-Clark State on Saturday.
 
A six-game winning streak came to an end as the Beacons fell to the Warriors, 63-59. Bushnell was down by nine points after the first ten minutes, but found a way to claw back into the contest, trailing by just two points at halftime, 31-29. Bushnell took a brief lead in the third quarter, but LC State (14-3, 8-3) was able to pull away in the fourth.
 
The Beacons shot 37% in the game and hit seven three-pointers. Morgan McKinney led the way, scoring 13 points while Kalina Rojas added 12 and ten rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Bella Pedrojetti scored 11 points, hitting a trio of three-pointers.
 
Southern Oregon continues to lead the CCC standings at 10-1, followed by Eastern Oregon at 9-2. Bushnell is a half game behind the Mounties.
 
Meet the Knights (7-9, 5-6)
A strong start to the conference season was unfortunately derailed for Warner Pacific as they were forced to forfeit their last four contests due to a campus-wide pause due to COVID issues. They were 5-2 in the CCC up to that point, including a 81-58 win over Bushnell in the first meeting between the schools.
 
A low point for the Beacons, Warner Pacific University came away with a decisive 23-point victory behind Courtney Jackson's 28 points. Bushnell trailed by one at the break before the Knights outscored the Beacons 47-25 in the closing two quarters.
 
Kalina Rojas led the Beacons with 17 points and six rebounds, shooting 6-for-10 from the floor. Morgan McKinney added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists. Sarah Reinecker shot 4-for-9 from three, finishing with 12 points on the game.
 
Warner Pacific scored 27 points off turnovers, finished with a 40-31 advantage in rebounds and secured 20 second-chance points. Jackson led the way for the Knights, shooting 12-for-18 from the field. Kylie Guelsdorf posted a double-double, recording 10 points and 12 rebounds.
 
The Beacons are now 19-15 in the all-time series as Warner Pacific picked up just their second win in the last 17 meetings between the schools, dating back to 2014.
On the year, WPU is averaging 68.8 points per game which ranks fifth in the conference and slightly ahead of the Beacons. They are seventh for team defense (63.8 ppg allowed) which is also just a hair better than Bushnell. They are second in the CCC in steals (11.8 spg) but last in blocking (1.3 bpg).
 
Jackson leads the CCC and is ranked 38^th in the NAIA in scoring, averaging 18 points per game. Hannah Myers (14.2 ppg) leads the conference in shooting percentage (.588) while Anna Farner ranks second in assists (5.1 assists per game).
 
Meet the Lions (3-15, 3-8 CCC)
After a 0-8 stretch to start the season, Multnomah began to gain some momentum in December as they won three CCC games in a five-game stretch, they have since cooled off with five straight losses, but should not be underestimated.
 
The Beacons held off a feisty Multnomah team in the first meeting on December 3, winning 76-59. Bushnell stormed out of the gates, building an 18-2 lead in the first six minutes. The visitors never trailed, but were forced to hold off a number of MU rallies as Lions scratched and clawed their way back to within single digits on multiple occasions. With seven minutes remaining, MU was still making a bid for the upset as they trailed 57-50. The Beacons, however, were able to end the game on a 19-9 run to seal the win.
 
The Beacons had four players in double-figures, led by an 18-point, eight-rebound effort from Aspen Slifka. Aly Mirabile and McKinney added 12 points each with Mirabile responsible for five steals. Bella Pedrojetti hit three triples, shot 50% from the field and scored 14.
 
The Lions were led by Kianna Ponce, scoring 14 points while Alaygza Portis secured a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
 
With the win, Bushnell improved to 12-2 in the all-time series. The Beacons have won five straight, by an average of over 28 points per game.
 
Currently, Multnomah is ninth in the CCC in scoring (61.9 ppg) and 11^th in defense (72.1 ppg allowed). They are second in conference in free-throw shooting, hitting 74.8% of their shots at the charity stripe.
 
Portis leads the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and is ninth in the CCC in rebounding (7.6 rpg). Shaila Mays follows, averaging 11 points per game, mostly coming off the bench.
 
MEN'S BASKETBALL (5-14 Overall, 3-9 CCC)
Friday, 1/21 vs. Warner Pacific, 7:30 pm (Livestats|Video Stream)
Saturday, 1/22 vs. Multnomah, 5:00 pm (Livestats|Video Stream)
 
The Bushnell University men's basketball team faced Walla Walla and LC State last weekend after learning the news that their entire coaching staff would be unable to make the trip due to COVID protocols. Chad Meadors, the Bushnell Women's Basketball Head Coach, stepped in to serve as the "in-person" coach for both contests.
 
After a week of limited practice time, the Beacons came away with a 84-76 win over WWU. Stevie Schlabach, who ranks second in the CCC in scoring, finished with 30 points. It was the second time the junior reached 30+ points this season. Schlabach is just six points away from reaching the 1,000-point mark for his Bushnell career.
 
Despite the coaching staff not traveling, the team was as deep as its been all year. Drayton Caoile returned from injury, while Isaac Girley and Keishon Dawkins saw their first minutes of the season, with all three finishing as key contributors. Dawkins posted 10 points and four rebounds in his first-ever collegiate basketball game.
 
Bushnell fell to LC State 93-82 the following evening but put up a competitive fight against the 20^th ranked team in the NAIA. The Beacons trailed by as many as 19 points in the first half but found themselves down by just one with six minutes to go in the contest. Girley finished with 23 points in just his second game with the Beacons.
 
As a team, the Beacons rank fifth in the conference in scoring (76.4 ppg) and ninth in scoring defense (80.5 ppg). In addition to Schlabach, Kaden Sand also ranks among the conference leaders in scoring with 12.4 points per game (15th). The Beacons currently sit in 10^th in the Cascade Conference standings but have defeated two teams in top half, Southern Oregon (3^rd) and Corban (5^th), while taking the College of Idaho (2^nd) into overtime.
 
Meet the Knights (9-10, 5-6)
Warner Pacific University is returning from 14-day suspension on all athletic activities due to a rise is COVID cases, resulting in forfeits of the last four contests. The Knights dropped to seventh in the conference standings, after holding a 5-2 record before the suspension of play. The last time out for the Knights was Jan. 4, an 89-71 win over Walla Walla.
 
The Knights own a 38-14 record in the all-time series with the Beacons, but it is a much closer 8-7 edge for WPU over the past six years with the teams having split their series in each of the last three.
 
WPU defeated Bushnell 95-82 in the first part of the season series in Portland in early December. The Knights used an 11-2 run to close the first half with a 16-point lead and maintained a double-digit advantage for the remainder of the game. Schlabach finished with 24 points for the Beacons, while Logan Sand and Luke Smith added eight points apiece.
 
Seven Knights posted double figures in the win, with Isaac Etter leading the team with 19 points. WPU had just seven turnovers in the contest.
 
Warner Pacific ranks fourth in the CCC in scoring (79.5 ppg) and eighth in scoring defense (77.9). One of their strengths is three-point shooting where they rank second in the conference (.367). Etter leads the team, averaging 14.8 points per game and is shooting 42% from beyond the arc.
 
Meet the Lions (8-11, 4-7)
Multnomah University opened conference play at 4-1 before beginning its current six-game losing streak to put them in ninth in the CCC standings. The Lions are coming off 99-75 and 90-63 losses to Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech.
 
The Beacons are 16-3 all-time against MU with the Lions coming away with the 99-92 victory in Portland this season in a game that saw a combined 53 fouls. The contest also saw ten ties and six lead changes in the first 20 minutes. Bushnell built their biggest lead of the night, 63-56 early in the second half, but the Lions took back the lead and held off the visitors late.
 
Schlabach led the way for the Beacons with 25 points. Jarrett Bryant posted a career-high 23 points, shooting 9-for-10 from the field and added nine rebounds. Nico Wolf finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Drayton Caoile recorded 12 points and nine assists.
 
Multnomah scored 44 points in the paint, led by Terin Johnson, scoring a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Tyrese Taylor, shooting 9-for-13, added 20.
 
The Lions rank second in the CCC in scoring (88.2 ppg) but are 11^th in scoring defense (86 ppg). Multnomah has three players ranked in the top-12 in scoring: Taylor (17.6 ppg), Johnson (13.4 ppg) and Zach Richardson (12.8 ppg). Taylor ranks fourth in scoring and second in rebounding (8.9 rpg).
 
INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Saturday, 1/22 at Portland Indoor 2-A (Livestats)
Sunday, 1/23 at Portland Indoor 2-B (Livestats)
 
The indoor track & field season begins this weekend with five athletes competing at the Portland Indoor event. Hosted by the University of Portland, the event is split over two days and two locations. Saturday's events take place on the campus of George Fox University at the Austin Sports Complex, while Sunday's competition will be at the Chiles Center in Portland. Please note that attendance will not be allowed for Sunday's competition.
 
This weekend will be a triumphant return to indoor competition for the Beacons, who did not compete in indoor in 2021 due to COVID. Five Beacons will compete, including four making their indoor debuts and one making her Bushnell debut.
 
For the men, Jaron Carter returns to competition. Carter is the school-record holder in the 60m (7.08) and will compete in that event on Saturday. On Sunday he will conquer the 200m. He holds two of the top-ten times in the indoor record book at that distance.
 
Four women will compete for the Beacons. Sophomore Adrienne Mai and freshman Maddi Desemone will compete in the 60m on Saturday and the 200m on Sunday. Mayah Pappas and Carina Haas will take on the Long Jump on Saturday with Pappas also running in the 400m on Sunday.