EUGENE, Ore. – Missing three starters due to COVID protocols, the Bushnell women's basketball team struggled with a seven-woman rotation and fell to Warner Pacific on Friday night, 67-52.
 
Bushnell (12-9, 9-4 CCC) shot just 31% in the game and suffered from 22 turnovers in the face of a tough Warner Pacific pressure defense. The Beacons did hold a 49-39 rebounding advantage and remarkably held a 12-9 margin in bench scoring, but made just nine three-pointers on 35 attempts. The team played without the services of starters Kalina Rojas, Morgan McKinney, and Bella Pedrojetti.
 
"Tonight was a tough one," said head coach Chad Meadors. "We had enough talent in the building to win the game, but we didn't perform. A lot of our players were out of position and you could see it from the tip-off that we were uncomfortable. They don't normally press to that degree and they really put us on our heels."
 
Bushnell trailed by six points after the first quarter, but started to make a few adjustments and settled into a better flow before halftime. A 19-0 run closed out the second quarter and bled into the third as Bushnell took their largest lead at 36-27 with 5:44 remaining in the third. Warner Pacific responded, outscoring the Beacons 26-3 over the next ten minutes to put the game out of reach.
 
The Beacons were led by junior Aspen Slifka, scoring 18 points and nine rebounds. She also owned two of the team's seven blocked shots. Sophomore Aly Mirabile and senior Alyssa Kuskie (pictured) scored nine points each for the Beacons and junior Sarah Reinecker led all players with four assists. Sophomore Libby Mathis earned the start for the first time in her career, and made the most of it with eight points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
 
The Knights (8-9, 6-6 CCC) complete the season sweep of the Beacons, shooting 40% from the field including a blistering 8-for-17 clip beyond the arc. The were led by senior Courtney Jackson, who played all 40 minutes and scored 21 points along with eight rebounds. Lynden Harry added four three pointers and finished with 20 points while Hannah Myers chipped in 13.
 
Bushnell returns to action on Saturday, taking on Multnomah University (4-15, 4-8) at 3:00 pm.