ASHLAND, Ore. – The 23^rd-ranked Southern Oregon Raiders pushed through a shaky shooting night to hold off Bushnell University, 50-43, in Friday's Cascade Collegiate Conference women's basketball game in the Lithia Motors Pavilion.  

Head Coach Chad Meadors said, "That was a tough one tonight. It was an incredibly frustrating night for all Beacons. We defended really well, outrebounded them, held them to a 25% field-goal percentage and still lost by seven. It hurts when you beat them in a lot of different ways but lose on the scoreboard. We turned the ball over too many times and just couldn't execute the game plan well enough."
 
Bushnell (9-4, 6-2 CCC) shot 34.5% from the floor, posting a season-low 1-of-19 from beyond the arc, in tonight's defeat. All four losses for the Beacons have come to opponents ranked among the Top-25 in the NAIA.
 
Southern Oregon (11-3, 7-1) remains in second place in the CCC standings, forcing 21 turnovers in the defensive showing, while committing just 10 of their own. The Raiders hung on despite struggling offensively for the entirety of the contest, finishing 24.6% from the floor on the night.
 
The Beacons shot 4-of-15 from the field in the first quarter but kept it to a 13-11 deficit thanks to a slow offensive start from the Raiders as well, who made just 5-of-21 from the floor. SOU finished the half shooting under 30% but forced 11 Bushnell turnovers to take a 25-23 lead into the break.
 
Brianna Phiakhamngon hit her third three of the night to give the Raiders a six-point lead, 48-42, with 3:35 to go in regulation. Free throws made up the remaining scoring and Southern Oregon held Bushnell to eight points in the final period to come away with the 50-43 victory.  
 
Aspen Slifka led the Beacons, scoring 13 points on 6-for-12 shooting with nine rebounds and three assists. Libby Mathis recorded 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks off the bench. As a team, Bushnell posted a season-high eight blocks. Bushnell finished with a 47-42 edge in rebounding with Kalina Rojas accounting for a team-high 10.
 
Phiakhamngon and Kalei Iwami recorded 11 points apiece for the Raider offense. Clara Robbins added a game-high 11 rebounds.

"We are all frustrated, but we want to right that ship," said Meadors. "We have OIT tomorrow and that's going to be a different kind of challenge for us. They are offensively really talented, so hopefully we can continue to defend, rebound, execute our offense and come out with a win tomorrow."

Bushnell will look to bounce back against Oregon Tech on Saturday at 3 p.m.