CALDWELL, Idaho – Holding a 15-point lead in the third quarter, the Bushnell women's basketball survived a furious comeback by the College of Idaho on Saturday, winning 60-56 for their third-straight victory.
 
A defensive battle similar to the first meeting between the schools in December, Bushnell (15-9, 12-4 CCC) shot 37% from the field and hit just four three-pointers on 19 attempts. The College of Idaho (14-10, 8-8) shot 30%, including a 14% effort from outside and turned the ball over 17 times.
 
Head Coach Chad Meadors said, "We made it a little hard on ourselves tonight, but defensively we forced them to take hard shots all night long and we snuck it out. Two sophomores stepped up at the foul line tonight. Aly Mirabile and Libby Mathis brought the daggers tonight and knocked down a couple at the end and found a way to get this thing done."
 
The teams were tied six times and traded six leads over the first eight minutes and the Yotes were ahead 16-15 late in the first. A Mathis layup and Mirabile three-pointer launched the Beacons to a 13-0 run and the visitors would take a 30-23 advantage into the intermission.
 
Bushnell came out and continued to dominate in the second half and found themselves leading 47-32 with just 11 minutes to play. A 13-point edge to start the fourth quarter quickly dwindled as the Yotes took advantage of Beacon foul trouble, driving aggressively to the rim on nearly every possession.
 
The College of Idaho brought the deficit all the way down to a single point on a free-throw with 13 seconds to play, but the Yotes missed the back-end of the two-shot effort, and the Beacons iced the win at the free throw line.
 
The win was the third straight for the Beacons who complete a road sweep of The College of Idaho and Eastern Oregon for just the second time in school history. "It is hard to get a sweep on the road," said Meadors, "especially on this trip. It is a heck of an accomplishment whenever you can do that and we are gaining some momentum."
 
The Beacons had four players in double-digits on Saturday, led by Morgan McKinney who scored 14 points, adding seven rebounds and a game-high three steals. Kalina Rojas (pictured) returned from COVID protocols to score 12 points, shooting 5-for-7 from the field while Mirabile and Bella Pedrojetti added 11 points apiece. Mathis finished with seven points and seven boards, along with two blocks.
 
The College of Idaho got a game-high 18 points out of Sienna Riddle, shooting 7-for-9 in the post. Kaylee Krusemark added 13 while Levi Mitchel scored six points with a game-high 12 rebounds.
 
Bushnell clinched a post-season berth with the victory and remains in fourth-place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The Beacons are just one game back in the loss column from all three teams in front of them. They will face one of those schools next weekend as Southern Oregon pays a visit to Eugene next Saturday at 3:00 pm. First it will be Oregon Tech in town on Friday at 5:30 pm.