LACEY, Wash. – Trailing entering the fourth quarter, the visiting Bushnell University women's basketball team outscored NCAA Division II Saint Martin's, 21-13, in the period to take home a 58-55 exhibition victory on Friday evening.
 
Aspen Slifka led the Beacons with 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Slifka went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and added four blocks on the night, including a pair in the final 10 seconds to prevent the match-tying basket.
 
Head Coach Chad Meadors said, "It was a great win tonight on the road versus a gritty Division II program in the GNAC. We found a way in the fourth quarter after getting tight and not handling the ball pressure well in the third quarter. We needed a basket and Kalina found a way to get the ball inside and make some plays. It was great that we were able to battle through and know that we can get back up and fight."
 
The Saints used a 22-9 third-quarter advantage to take a 42-37 lead into the fourth period. Trailing 48-39, Kalina Rojas and Bella Pedrojetti combined for a 9-2 run to narrow the deficit to 50-48. The Beacons took the lead on a Pedrojetti three-pointer with three and a half minutes to go. Slifka made a three with 1:46 on the clock to grab a five-point lead before sealing the game with a pair of blocks in the final 10 seconds of play.
 
Rojas said, "We all looked at each other and said we are not losing this game. We decided we were going to do whatever it took to win, share the ball, know who was hot, and execute. One thing that helped us out is we never let up on defense and kept pressuring at the right times."
 
Rojas finished with 10 points and nine rebounds on 5-for-8 shooting for the Beacons.
 
"I'm proud of Bella for staying the course, knowing she is a really good shooter and knocking down three straight big shots for us," said Meadors. "Then Aspen took it home with a knock down shot to put it away. I don't know if any of it would have been possible without Olivia's fourth-quarter defense and Aly did a really good job the whole game of running our team and getting us the right shots and making the right plays at the right time."
 
Pedrojetti recorded 10 points, all in the fourth quarter, helping the team post a 75% field-goal percentage in the frame. Aly Mirabile added eight points and three assists.
 
Saint Martin's was led by 16 points from Kiana Rios.
 
Bushnell is back in action on November 2, taking on No. 2 Westmont College in Santa Barbara.