SALEM, Ore. – The Bushnell University women's basketball team earned their first win of the season on Wednesday evening, defeating Willamette University, 73-62, in the non-conference contest.
 
Bushnell (1-2) led by 17 points, 64-47, following a three from Liv Tjoelker with under six and a half minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Willamette (0-1) answered with a 9-0 run to make it an eight-point game with four minutes on the clock but the Bearcats were unable to get any closer as the Beacons earned their first victory of the season.
 
Head Coach Chad Meadors said, "It was great to see us play together and get our first win. I would have liked a couple more stops and buckets to put it away, but fatigue was setting in and Willamette knocked down some shots. Every win is going to be a grind for us, and this group is going to keep getting better."
 
Aspen Slifka led the way with 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting and added seven rebounds. Libby Mathis recorded 14 points and six rebounds, making 7-of-9 from the field, while Ayden Krupke finished with a career-high 13 points.
 
"Aspen was a rock for us tonight", said Meadors. "Libby had a good player on her and had some nice moves down on the post. I'm really happy with Ayden's progress and how she played tonight. She's a tough one to stop when she gets it going."
 
Aly Mirabile added nine points and eight assists, while Liv Tjoelker recorded 10 points on the night. Meadors said, "Aly played really well and Liv had two huge shots in the fourth quarter. Kiley and Sam came in and gave us a lift with Kiley attacking the basket and Sam competing for rebounds. It was a total team effort."
 
Bushnell shot 57.7% from the floor, including 7-of-19 (.368) from beyond the arc and made 6-of-10 free throws. Willamette finished 41.4% from the field, 7-of-17 (.412) from three-point range and 7-of-8 at the free throw line. The Bearcats finished with a 28-26 edge in rebounds.
 
Carolyn Ho and Elyse Waldal led Willamette with 11 points apiece. Ava Kitchin added eight points and a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Up next, Bushnell hosts Linfield on Saturday at 5 p.m. in the Morse Center.