EUGENE, Ore. – The Bushnell men's basketball team held off a late charge from Oregon Tech, pulling out a 76-74 victory in the Morse Center as they clinched a spot in the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament.
 
Bushnell held a lead for more than 37 minutes of the game and had built an 11-point lead with 14:26 remaining. OIT slowly crept back into the contest and were down 67-64 before the Beacons scored seven-straight to take another ten-point lead with 4:39 remaining on back-to-back three-pointers from Alexis Angeles and Stevie Schlabach.
 
The Owls mounted one more comeback, using an 8-0 run to bring the game to within two. After trading buckets, Blake Jensen hit a dunk with 55 seconds remaining and Bushnell came up short on their next possession. OIT, however, wasn't able to find the win as they missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer.
 
Head Coach Eddie Alexander said, "Our guys battled until the end tonight. We struggled to execute offensively through contact towards the end but we defended as hard as we could. OIT is a great opponent and always gives us their best, but we were due. Big shots stand out to me tonight from Stevie and Luke [Smith]. We got some big momentum changes on their buckets."
 
The Beacons (12-15, 10-11 CCC) had five players score in double-figures, led by 18 from Schlabach who shot 7-for-13. Angeles, Smith, and Spencer Hoffman added 13 points apiece while Kaden Sand chipped in ten pointsand a team-high seven rebounds. The Beacons shot 47% in the game with the real difference-maker coming once again at the free-throw line where they were 13-for-15. Bushnell also shot 56% from three-point range, hitting nine, while the Owls were 4-for-16 from beyond the arc.
 
Oregon Tech (14-13, 11-10 CCC) was led by Keegan Shivers and Jamison Guerra, scoring 18 points apiece. The Owls owned a 16-4 margin in points off turnovers as they committed just two giveaways in the second half.
 
Bushnell will close out the regular season at 5:00 pm on Saturday, taking on Southern Oregon University, as they fight for seeding. Depending on numerous outcomes around the conference, the Beacons could finish anywhere from sixth through eighth.