COLLEGE PLACE, Wash. – Kaylen Kamelamela scored a season-high 18 points and Aspen Slifka recorded a double-double as visiting Bushnell University held on to defeat Walla Walla University, 68-64, in a Cascade Collegiate Conference women's basketball contest that came down to the final seconds.  
 
With 12 points on the night, Slifka moved into a tie for second on Bushnell's all-time scoring list, matching Emily Gray (1,236). The junior also recorded 10 rebounds to post her first double-double of the season and second of her career.
 
Head Coach Chad Meadors said, "What a win tonight. Coming off a really tough loss that we put our heart and soul into, we came over here and got a split tonight. We outrebounded them by 21, we defended, and Walla Walla hit a lot of tough shots tonight. It got tight at the end and we did a great job at the free throw line and getting the ball inbounded."
 
Bushnell (16-7, 13-5 CCC) held a double-digit lead with under five minutes to play before Walla Walla (5-16, 4-14) battled back behind three critical makes from beyond the arc, to trail by just two with eight seconds to go. The Beacons had to secure the win at the free throw line, with 5-of-6 coming from Kamelamela in the final 16 seconds.
 
"Needing free throws in a crunch time is fun and is what I love about the game," said Kamelamela. "We had to fight for it and nothing came easy tonight. Defensively, we did okay. We didn't contain 12 (Casem) as much as we wanted to, but good players make good plays, and we found a way to shut down others. They hit some shots at the end, but we played through it, showed our heart, and how bad we wanted to win it tonight."
 
With the win, the Beacons remain in a tie for fourth in the CCC standings with Oregon Tech.
 
The Beacons had one of their higher scoring first quarters, taking advantage of a 15-6 rebound margin that included seven offensive boards, to go up 22-14 in the period before taking a 35-29 lead into the half.
 
Bushnell led by as many as 11 points in the third, but Walla Walla ended the quarter on a six-point run to narrow the Beacon advantage to 49-44. Kamelamela hit her third 3-pointer of the game near the eight-minute mark of the fourth to bring the Bushnell lead to 56-48.
 
Walla Walla kept themselves in it with a 7-0 run that included a pair of three-pointers to narrow the deficit to 60-57 with 02:20 on the clock, and trailed by just two points, 61-59, following a pair of free throws by Jaliyah Casem with a minute and a half to play in regulation.
 
Kamelamela made one of two free throws with 16 seconds on the clock to go up 62-59, and grabbed the offensive board on the miss. The senior was fouled and made both free throws to give the Beacons a five-point cushion with 11 seconds on the clock.
 
Bushnell needed that cushion as Clara Campos drilled a three at the eight-second mark to bring the score to 64-62. Up by three, 65-62, after one of two made free throws, the Beacons chose to foul, and Casem made both free throws to make it a one-point game.
 
The Beacons once again got the offensive board following one-of-two at the free throw line and Kamelamela sealed the win with two more free throw makes, bringing the final score to 68-64. Kamelamela and Libby Mathis combined for 16 of Bushnell's 19 fourth-quarter points.
 
Kamelamela went 7-of-8 at the free throw line on the game, while Mathis finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. The Beacons outrebounded the Wolves, 51-30, including a 20-5 margin in offensive boards.
 
Casem finished with 16 points to lead four double-digit scorers for WWU. Savanah Zamora recorded 14 points, while Campos added 12. Chariah Daniels posted a double-double, recording 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolves.
 
The Beacons have four games to in the regular season as they head to No. 16 Eastern Oregon (Feb. 10) and The College of Idaho (Feb. 11) next week.