WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Friday 1/27 vs. Northwest, 5:30 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 1/28 vs. Evergreen, 3:00 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
Bushnell (13-6, 10-4 CCC) took over fourth place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings following a 66-56 victory over Corban on Tuesday.
CCC OUTLOOK: Three teams in the CCC are ranked among the Top-25 in the NAIA, No. 9 Lewis-Clark State (13-0), No. 16 Eastern Oregon (12-1) and No. 25 Southern Oregon (11-3) and make up the top three in the CCC standings.
CCC RANKS: The Beacons ranks fourth in the conference in scoring, averaging 66.1 points per game. They rank fourth in field-goal percentage (.402) and third in three-point percentage (.320). Defensively, Bushnell ranks fifth in the CCC, allowing 60.4 points per contest.
Bella Pedrojetti leads the Beacons in scoring, averaging 12.5 points per game and ranks fifth in the conference in three-point shooting, making 38.5% of attempts on the season. She has reached double-digit scoring in all but four games, including a career-high 24 points at Evergreen.
Aspen Slifka ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.8 points per game, and ranks among the top-10 in steals per game (7th – 2.0) and block per game (9th – 0.9).
Libby Mathis ranks fourth in the CCC in field-goal percentage, making 51.5% of her shots. The junior is averaging 8.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks (4th in CCC) per game.
Kalina Rojas is averaging 6.8 points per game and leads the Beacons in rebounding, averaging 7.2 per game.
MILESTONE WATCH: Aspen Slifka needs 13 points to move into third on Bushnell's all-time scoring list, passing Lindsey Shearer (1,206). Slifka (1,193) moved ahead of Elise Gray (1,124) in the SOU/OIT road series in early January.
NORTHWEST: The Eagles (5-13, 3-10 CCC) enter the weekend in ninth in the conference standings. As a team, Northwest ranks 10th in the CCC in scoring, averaging 58 points per game, and are 11th defensively, allowing 69.1 points per contest. The Eagles are shooting a conference-low, 24.4% from beyond the arc.
Kyrin Baklund and Maya DuChesne are averaging 11 points each to lead the Eagles in scoring. Kylie Lunday, a junior center, is averaging nine points and a team-leading 7.3 rebounds per game.
Bushnell won the first meeting with Northwest, 66-60, holding off a late fourth-quarter comeback. The Eagles turned the ball over just 10 times in the contest.
Aspen Slifka led the Beacons in scoring with 16 points, while DuChesne led the Eagles with a game-high 20 points.
The Beacons and Eagles are an even 15-15 in the all-time series.
EVERGREEN: The Geoducks (7-9, 4-9 CCC) sit in eighth in the conference standings after dropping games to LC State and Walla Walla in their last time out. TESC is averaging 59.8 points per game, eighth in the CCC, and are allowing a ninth-best 65.2 points per game.
The Geoducks rank second in the conference in turnovers, committing just 14.4 per contest, behind just LC State (12.2), but are forcing a just 13.3 per game, a CCC-low. Sophomore guard Sydney Vanness leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game, fifth in the CCC. Junior guard Monique Bungay is averaging 13.5 points per contest, ranking her seventh in the conference. Jalyn Sackrider, a sophomore forward, leads the team defensively, recording 8.1 rebounds (8th in CCC) and 2.3 blocks (3rd in CCC) per game.
In the first meeting between the teams, Bushnell came out on top, edging Evergreen 59-58. After the Beacons got out to a 22-6 lead in the opening quarter, the Geoducks used an 18-0 run to tie the game in the second and went into halftime with a lead. Evergreen had a chance to tie the score with a free throw with four seconds to go in regulation but couldn't convert.
Bushnell has won the last 13 games against Evergreen and leads the all-time series, 18-13.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Friday 1/27 vs. Northwest, 7:30 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 1/28 vs. Evergreen, 5:00 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
The Beacons (8-12, 6-8 CCC) have won two of their last three, both against top-four CCC teams, and now set their sights on climbing to .500 in the CCC as they come home to face Northwest and Evergreen.
RECORD WATCH: After recently becoming Bushnell's all-time leader for field goal attempts, Junior
Stevie Schlabach is closing in another school record. He needs just five more field goals to break the record of 535 set by Hall of Famer Mitch Naylor from 1995-1999. Schlabach is also currently sitting at 1417 career points which sits 36 points behind Naylor for third all-time.
CCC OUTLOOK: Bushnell remains in the hunt for the CCC post-season as they are tied for eighth-place with Oregon Tech. The teams are a half game behind LC State for seventh and just two games out of fifth place in the tight Cascade Conference race. The College of Idaho (13-0), ranked No. 1 in the NAIA, remains on top with a comfortable three-game lead over second-place Eastern Oregon (10-3).
CONFERENCE/NAIA RANKS: The Beacons are currently ranked fifth in the CCC in scoring (80.5 points per game) and ninth in defense (80.2 ppg allowed). Bushnell leads the conference in defensive three-point percentage as opponents are hitting just 30.6% of their deep shots. The Beacons remain No. 2 in the conference and third in the NAIA in free-throw percentage (.782).
Individually,
Spencer Hoffman is sixth in the conference in scoring (16.6 ppg) while
Stevie Schlabach is 11th (15.0). Hoffman is also third in rebounding (9.1 rpg) and fourth in field goal percentage (.593). Schlabach leads the conference in three-point percentage (.500), followed by
Cory Johnson in second at .469.
NORTHWEST: The Eagles (7-12, 4-9) recently ended an eight-game losing streak with a victory over Walla Walla. They are currently in tenth-place in the CCC. They rank tenth in the conference in scoring (73.2 ppg) and eighth in defense, allowing 79.3 points per game. They have been successful from outside as they are third in the conference for three-point shooting (.372), just ahead of Bushnell in fourth.
Drew Bryson is the top scorer for the Eagles, averaging 14.9 points per game. CaCoa Chatman is next, averaging 12.9 ppg. Chatman is also fifth in the conference in steals, averaging 1.5 per game.
Bushnell won the first meeting between the schools up in Kirkland last month, closing out the calendar year with a 95-89 victory.
Stevie Schlabach,
Trevon Richmond, and
Spencer Hoffman also scored over 20 points in the game as the Beacons shot 56% from the field.
The Beacons now hold a slim 16-15 lead in the all-time series and have won two straight. The Eagles, however, have won the last three meetings in Eugene.
EVERGREEN: The Geoducks bring a 12-game losing streak into tonight's contest as they have not claimed a victory since a CCC-opening win over Walla Walla. Defense has been an issue as they have allowed over 100 points in eight games this season, including the last six straight. They are last in the NAIA in points allowed at 98.0 per game. Offensively, they rank 11th in the CCC, scoring 71.1 ppg.
Tyler Williford leads the team and is seventh in the CCC in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game. He is second in the conference in rebounding (9.3 rpg). Jaden Upshaw follows with 14.3 ppg while Jourdan Joseph leads the entire country in free-throw efficiency at 95.5%. He has hit 42 of his 44 attempts.
Bushnell dominated the first meeting back in December, winning 106-78. The 28-point victory was the biggest CCC win for the Beacons in six years.
Spencer Hoffman scored 20 points in the contest and
Cory Johnson added 19 as he hit 5-for-6 from three-point range.
The Beacons are 19-12 all-time against the Geoducks and, save for a COVID forfeit last season, have won six straight and 15 of their last 16.
INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Friday-Saturday, 1/27-28 at University of Washington (Livestats)
Three Beacon men's sprinters have qualified to compete in the University of Washington Invitational in Seattle this weekend.
Jaron Carter,
Isaiah Davis, and
Ashton Williams are all set to compete in both the 60m and 200m events.
The 200m takes place on Friday while the 60m event is on Saturday.
