EUGENE, Ore. – She played 47 home games during an illustrious career and senior Morgan McKinney may have saved her best for last, lifting Bushnell University to an 83-77 overtime victory over Oregon Tech on Tuesday in the Cascade Collegiate Conference quarterfinals.
 
"That was a heck of a college basketball game tonight," said head coach Chad Meadors. "It was a good, intense game, and we had a great crowd. A tremendous game that goes down to the end and once it went to overtime our kids knew what to do and we got it done."
 
McKinney scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and overtime combined as Bushnell erased a 12-point second-half deficit, crawling back to claim the victory. The Beacons advance to the CCC semifinals where they will face top seed Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston, Idaho on Friday night.
 
McKinney said, "Knowing the coaches, fans, and my teammates trusted me to make big plays tonight was so encouraging. Being surrounded by everybody tonight with friends, family, classmates, faculty and staff it means the world to me for that to be my last home game. Pressure is privilege and it was a privilege to do it with the best group of teammates that showed the grit, the heart, and the fight to win in overtime."
 
The Beacons (19-12) finished the night shooting 50% from the field after an incredible overtime period in which they went 5-for-5 from the field, but it was anything but easy getting there. Leading by four points in the first quarter, Bushnell saw OIT hit a buzzer-beating put-back to close out period and the Owls carried that momentum into the second quarter as they built a 46-36 lead at the intermission.
 
Freshman Olivia Sprague set the tone, scoring 12 points as the Owls had shot 53% including a 3-for-4 clip from three-point range.
 
"They came out and they put it on us," said Meadors. "I don't know if we defended as well as we could, but they made a ton of plays to begin the game. Sprague knocked down some tough shots and it started right from the beginning and it put us on our heels. We executed on offense and got good looks, but we just could not make stops.
 
Oregon Tech scored the first points of the second-half to take a 12-point lead, but Bushnell began to mount a memorable comeback from there, relying heavily on an inside presence.
Meadors said, "At halftime we talked about just reeling them in, closing the gap, tightening the screws, and rebounding the ball. These are things we haven't done a good job on all year, but you could just see our kids wanting to win. We started making stops, taking care of the scouting report way better than we have."
 
The home team had climbed to within four points, 51-47 on a McKinney layup with 4:50 to play in the third quarter and then the Owls brought a six-point lead into the final 10-minute stretch.
 
Bushnell would not relent. Trailing 62-58 with 4:45 remaining, the Beacons scored six straight to regain the lead.
 
The teams continued to trade blows and found themselves tied with 38 seconds remaining. Bushnell would lose possession on a jump-ball tie up on the next possession, and with three seconds remaining, McKinney was called for a foul, sending OIT's Abby Kreiser to the line. The senior made both free-throws to give the visitors the lead.
 
Meadors called his final time out to set up a last play. The in-bound pass came to McKinney who broke free and was intentionally fouled at the top of the key with 1.7 seconds remaining. The senior hit both of her free-throws, tying the game and sending it to overtime.
 
Meadors said, "That is so incredibly tough there at the end, to be at the free-throw line, exhausted, down two. For her to knock those down was pretty special for her and for our program."
 
Kreiser gave Oregon Tech an early lead in the extra period with free-throws, but Bushnell pulled away from there. McKinney and Sophomore Libby Mathis combined for 13 points in the final three minutes and 40 seconds as the Beacons out-scored the Owls 15-9 in the extra frame. The pair combined on one of the biggest plays of the game with 3:13 to play as a double-teamed Mathis kicked out to a wide-open McKinney for her first three-pointer of the game, giving Bushnell the lead for good.
 
McKinney's final stat line included a season-high 24 points, a career-high 14 rebounds, and a game-high six assists. She also added another Bushnell career record, becoming the Beacons all-time leader for rebounds with 743. "Seeing my dad's reaction and knowing how happy he was made the moment even sweeter," said McKinney. "He is my biggest fan and support and he was right there for the best game of my life. That is who I do it for."
 
Mathis (pictured, right) wasn't far behind with an incredible night of her own, scoring 23 points on 10-for-12 shooting. She added eight rebounds and three steals and was playing with four fouls over the final 14 minutes. Aspen Slifka scored 13 points along with four assists, three steals and two blocks, and Kalina Rojas scored ten points. When all was said and done, Bushnell held a 48-26 advantage in points-in-the-point.
 
"I credit our guards for staying the course, finding the matchup and allowing our posts to go to work and make plays," said Meadors. "We pounded the ball inside all night long and I don't know if I've ever truly won a game like that where the emphasis is been so much inside game. Most of the time people will collapse, and we kick the ball out and knock down threes. OIT stayed out all game and guarded our perimeter so it forced the posts to make plays. Libby Mathis is growing up right before our eyes, Morgan was amazing, Kalina and Aspen got some great looks, and our shooters stayed patient."
 
Oregon Tech (19-11) was led by Sprague, who finished 4-for-4 from three-point range and matched McKinney's game-high 24 points. Kreiser scored 18 points and nine rebounds in her final collegiate game and Shelby Blodgett added 11 points and seven boards.  
 
In other quarterfinal action on Tuesday, LC State defeated No. 8 College of Idaho, 61-58, setting up the meeting between the Beacons and Warriors on Friday. The other semifinal will feature No. 2 Southern Oregon and No. 3 Eastern Oregon as the teams defeated Northwest and Warner Pacific respectively.