While a third straight CCC regular-season champions wasn't in the cards for the Bushnell women's basketball team, a tournament title is still in play as the Beacons open up to the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament at home on Tuesday at 7:00 pm
 
#4 BUSHNELL (18-12, 15-7) vs. #5 OREGON TECH (19-10, 12-10)
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HOW WE GOT HERE: Bushnell claimed fourth-place in the CCC after splitting a pair of road games to close out the regular season. After faltering against Northwest with a stunning 74-73 upset on Friday, the Beacons bounced back with a convincing 81-63 win over Evergreen State on Saturday, spoiling senior night for the Geoducks.
 
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Headed into the final weekend, Oregon Tech was tied for fifth place and needing separation from Warner Pacific as the Knights owned the potential tiebreakers. The Owls got what they needed, going 1-1 with a 76-66 win over Walla Walla and a 72-65 defeat at the hands of regular-season champion LC State.
 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: After winning the regular-season championship outright, No. 21-ranked Lewis-Clark State College picked up the top seed of the tournament and the automatic bid to the NAIA tournament. The Warriors finish the regular season with a 25-3 overall, 19-3 CCC mark.
 
Southern Oregon University and Eastern Oregon University each finished the year with an 18-4 conference mark, but the Raiders grabbed the second seed with the tiebreakers. The Mounties enter the tournament with the third seed. Bushnell University rounds out the top-four seeds, which also serve as hosts for the first round.
 
Oregon Tech took the five seed, Warner Pacific University followed in the six seed, Northwest University grabbed the seven seed, and College of Idaho picked up the final spot at No. 8.
 
The four winners from Tuesday's quarterfinals will face off on Friday at 7:00 pm as the top two remaining seeds will play host to the lowest two remaining seeds respectively.
 
MEET THE BEACONS:  Senior Morgan McKinney claimed her eighth Bushnell career record on Saturday, passing Aly Bruns (2009-2013) for the career assists record of 370. She currently has 376 assists. Morgan is 16th in the CCC in scoring (12.8 ppg), 17th in rebounding (6.5 rpg), 9th in field goal percentage (.485) and third for assists (3.8 apg).
 
Junior Aspen Slifka recently moved into sixth on the Bushnell all-time scoring list with 959 points. She is just eight points away from passing Lori Renner for fifth-place and is close to becoming the fifth player ever to score 1000. Slifka leads the beacons and is sixth in the CCC in scoring this season, averaging 15.1 points per game.
 
Sophomore transfer Bella Pedrojetti is third on the Beacons in scoring, averaging 10.8 points per game. She has established herself as one of the top three-point shooters in the CCC, currently ranked second, shooting 42.8%.
 
Sophomore Aly Mirabile continues to be one of the preeminent point guards in the conference. She currently ranks second in the conference in assists (4.1 apg) and third in the CCC in steals (2.2 spg).
 
MEET THE OWLS: Freshman Shelby Blodgett is the top scorer for the Owls, averaging 13.1 points per game to claim the #15 spot in the CCC. She is also ninth in rebounding (8.0 rpg).
 
Sophomore Maddyson Tull scores 12.6 points per game for the Owls and has the best field goal percentage on the circuit, hitting 59.6% of her attempts.
 
OIT is home to the top point guard in the CCC (Senior Abby Kreiser, 6.1 assists per game) as well as the top three-point shooter (Junior Kristin Farrell, 43.2% three-point percentage). Kreiser also just scored her 1000th career point and is the only player in Oregon Tech history with 500 assists and 1000 points in a career.