EUGENE, Ore. – The Bushnell University women's basketball team took their first Cascade Collegiate Conference loss on Sunday afternoon, falling to the No. 10 team in the nation, Lewis-Clark State College, 74-58.
 
Head Coach Chad Meadors said, "We battled tonight, and our defense was great. We kind of let down there in the fourth quarter when we struggled on the offensive end, and I think that leaked over a little bit into the defensive side of things. They are where we want to be, so I think this was a step in the right direction. We really competed and battled on the boards. They stepped up their game in the third and fourth quarters and we have to match that."
 
Bushnell (7-3, 4-1 CCC) led 15-11 after the first quarter, holding LC State (10-1, 5-0) to just 3-of-22 from the field in the period. The Beacons maintained a 32-29 edge at the break as the Warriors were shooting just 23.7% on the game entering halftime.
 
LC State made their move in the third quarter, outscoring Bushnell 21-10 in the period to take a 50-42 lead. The Warriors continued their momentum into the fourth, making 10-of-14 from the floor to put the game away. Hannah Broyles, who led LC with 23 points on the contest, scored nine in the fourth quarter thanks to 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc.
 
Ellie Sander added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors. Maddie Holm recorded a double-double, posting 11 points and 15 rebounds. LC finished with a 24-3 advantage in points off turnovers and a 29-13 margin in second-chance points.
 
The Beacons were led by Aspen Slifka, who finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Bella Pedrojetti and Kalina Rojas recorded 10 points apiece with Rojas adding eight rebounds. Libby Mathis posted 15 rebounds on the afternoon.
 
As a team, Bushnell shot 29.2% from the floor and 61.5% from the free throw line.
 
"We've got another gear in us and we have to find it," said Meadors. "I was pleased with how hard we played, but we have to knock down some shots. Hopefully this will add fuel, put a chip on our shoulder and we will work to prove that we are worthy team to compete for a conference championship."
 
After the break, Bushnell hits the road to take on the Evergreen State College (Dec. 30) and Northwest University (Dec. 31).