HELENA, Mont. – The Bushnell men's basketball team jumped out to a 17-2 lead on Saturday, trailed at halftime, and had climbed within two points with 90 seconds to play, but in the end Montana State-Northern pulled out a 90-84 win to send the Beacons to their seventh straight loss.  
 
The statistics show that Bushnell had all the makings of a victory, shooting 63% from three-point range, out-rebounding the Lights 36-30, and grabbing 21 assists on 32 made baskets. The Beacons did commit 13 turnovers while MSUN had just five, and the Bushnell defense couldn't finish the job.
 
Head Coach Eddie Alexander said, "We did a great job in the first half establishing a lead and dictating the game. Unfortunately, the last several minutes we got loose with the ball and forgot the identity we established early. The guys had a valiant effort in the second half but again we struggled in stretches defensively. Right now we have got to get back to work with more conference games next weekend. Nothing is going to be given to us. We are going to have to earn everything this season as we continue to build our chemistry."
 
The strong three-point shooting night for the Beacons (2-7) can be attributed largely to junior Stevie Schlabach who went 5-for-5 from the outside and finished with a team-high 24 points, adding a game-high six assists. Spencer Hoffman also scored over 20 for the fourth straight game, finishing with 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Trevon Richmond and Alexis Angeles also scored in double-figures, adding 11 and ten points respectively.
 
The Lights (8-2) were led by Jesse Keltner who scored a game-high 25 points and led MSUN with nine rebounds.
 
Bushnell will look to regroup before resuming Cascade Collegiate Conference action next weekend. They face off against Walla Walla University at home on Saturday night, beginning at 9:00 pm.