WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Friday 12/15 at Walla Walla, 11:30 am (Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 12/16 at Lewis-Clark State, 4:00 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
The Bushnell women's basketball team is coming off a 53-48 victory over Corban University in their last time out.
Libby Mathis earned CCC Player of the Week honors for her 19-point, 15-rebound performance against the Warriors. The Beacons take on Walla Walla on Friday before battling the No. 7 team in the NAIA, Lewis-Clark State, on Saturday.
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: Four teams remain undefeated in conference play, led by LC State and Warner Pacific at 3-0, while Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon sit at 2-0. Bushnell is fifth in the CCC with a 2-1 record.
Three CCC teams are on the latest NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll, led by LC State at No. 7. Southern Oregon moved up one spot this week to No. 20 while Oregon Tech is receiving votes.
The Beacons are currently ranked 10
th in the CCC in scoring, averaging 59.8 points per game. On defense, Bushnell is third, allowing 56.7 ppg, while holding opponents to a conference-best 34.9% from the floor. The team is third in field goal percentage (.409), and sixth in three-point shooting, hitting .267 from deep. The Beacons rank ninth in the CCC in rebounds per game (34.0).
Individually,
Aspen Slifka is currently ninth in the CCC in scoring (14.9 ppg) and
Libby Mathis is third in rebounding with 9.9 per game. Mathis also ranks 11
th in scoring (14.0 ppg) and sixth in field-goal percentage, shooting 51.0% on the year.
Aly Mirabile is tied for sixth in the conference in assists, averaging 3.4 per contest.
WALLA WALLA: The Wolves are 4-4 overall on the season and 1-2 in conference action, defeating Northwest in their win. WWU fell to LC State, 82-62, last week before an exhibition loss at Eastern Washington.
Walla Walla sits in the middle of the pack in most statistical categories. The team is currently fourth in the CCC in scoring (66.8 ppg) and sixth defensively, allowing 62.2 points per game. The Wolves are shooting 36.8% from the floor (9
th) on the year, including a .265 (7
th) mark from three-point range. They are holding opponents to a conference-best 22.2% from beyond the arc.
Chariah Daniels leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, both fourth in the CCC. Daniels leads the conference in field-goal percentage, shooting 61.2% on the year and is second in steals (3.5/g). Jaliyah Casem is sixth in the CCC in scoring with 16.0 points per contest and is shooting a second-best 41.2% from three-point range.
Bushnell is undefeated against Walla Walla in the all-time series with a 23-0 record.
LEWIS-CLARK STATE: LC State is off to a 7-1 start to the year, falling to Carroll in their only loss, who was ranked No. 5 at the time. The Warriors are coming off a 20-point victory over Walla Walla in their last time out.
The Warriors rank second in the CCC in scoring, averaging 76.4 points per game. Defensively, they rank seventh, giving up 63.2 points per game. LC is shooting 46.4% from the floor (2
nd) and lead the CCC from beyond the arc, making 31.5% of attempts. The Warriors lead the conference in assists per game (18.9) and steals per game (12.1).
Callie Stevens is averaging 15.3 points per game, ranking her seventh in the CCC, and is shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc (5
th). Maddie Holm leads the conference in rebounding, averaging 10.1 per game, while Ellie Sander is the CCC leader in three-point percentage (.419).
LC State is 7-0 in the all-time series with Bushnell.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Friday 12/15 at Walla Walla, 1:30 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 12/16 at Lewis-Clark State, 6:00 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
The Beacons had their first stumble of the CCC season last weekend, falling on the road to Corban University, 87-81. After trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half, Bushnell rallied back to within one point before losing.
The Beacons continue their road trip this weekend as they travel to face Walla Walla University and Lewis-Clark State College.
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: Three teams remain undefeated in the CCC standings after two weeks, led by Corban and Lewis-Clark State at 3-0. Southern Oregon is currently 2-0.
Two Cascade Conference teams are included in the latest NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches Poll, which was released on Wednesday. The College of Idaho dropped three spots to No. 5 while Oregon Tech entered the poll at No. 24.
The Beacons are the top scoring team in the CCC, averaging 86.2 points per game. The next closest foe is Oregon Tech, averaging 83.1 ppg. The Beacons are tenth defensively, allowing 82.1 ppg. The team is No. 1 for three-point shooting (.385), No. 2 for overall field goal shooting (.466) and No. 4 for free-throw shooting (.731). The Beacons also lead the conference in assists (17.0/g) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6).
Individually,
Stevie Schlabach and
Kaden Sand are tied for 13th in the CCC in scoring (13.7 ppg).
Spencer Hoffman leads the conference with 9.6 rebounds per game.
Cory Johnson is third in the CCC in three-point shooting (.512, 21-for-41) while
Tony Frohlich-Fair is third in steals (1.7 s/g).
WALLA WALLA: The Wolves (3-4, 2-1 CCC) opened up their Cascade Conference slate with two wins, defeating Evergreen and Northwest, but fell last weekend to LC State, 94-68. WWU is eighth in the CCC in scoring (73.6 ppg) and seventh in defense (78.4 ppg allowed). They have the best defensive field goal shooting percentage in the CCC, allowing opponents to hit just .397 against them, including a 27% clip from three-point range.
Soren Dalan has been an impressive leader for Walla Walla thus far, averaging 17.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game which both rank second in the CCC. He also leads the conference in blocking with 2.1 per game. Ethan Ford is third in the conference in assists, averaging 4.0.
The Beacons are 16-3 in the all-time series with the Wolves and have won 13 of the last 14 meetings. Bushnell swept the home-and-home series last season including a 98-80 win on the road.
LEWIS-CLARK STATE: After a tough pre-season schedule which included losses to a pair of NAIA Top-Ten teams, LC State (5-4, 3-0 CCC) has won three straight games to open Cascade Conference action. The Warriors are fourth in the CCC in scoring (79.2 ppg) and fourth in defense, allowing 71.8 ppg. Their +7.4 scoring margin is ranked second.
Quentin Raynor is on top of a well-rounded group of scorers, averaging 11 points per game which ranks 26
th in the CCC.
The Beacons are still looking for their first win against LC State in a series that dates back to 2009. The Warriors are 7-0, including a 4-0 margin since joining the Cascade Conference in 2021.
