EUGENE, Ore. – A 33-point first quarter propelled Eastern Oregon University to an 87-75 victory over the Bushnell University women's basketball team in Friday's Cascade Collegiate Conference game in the Morse Center.
 
Head Coach Chad Meadors said, "We obviously had a rough start defensively in the first quarter, both on the perimeter and on the inside. We gave up too many easy looks and they got in the flow. They won the battle of the tempo tonight. There are a lot of great takeaways that we can go back and feel good about but ultimately defense is what we hang our head on, and we certainly struggled in many different areas tonight. We'll have to regroup, and we will rebound."
 
Eastern Oregon (9-4, 5-4 CCC) shot 73.7% from the field in the first quarter before taking a 53-41 advantage into the break. The Mountaineers made nine three-pointers (9-14) in the half but were held to just three the rest of the way. Bushnell (8-6, 4-4) got within nine with under two minutes to go in regulation but were unable to cut the deficit any further.
 
EOU finished 54.0% from the floor, 52.2% (12-23) from beyond arc and 87.5% (7-8) at the free throw line. Bushnell shot 46.4% from the field, including 24% (6-25) from three, and made 5-of-9 free throws. The Mounties outrebounded the Beacons, 38-31.
 
Brie Holecek led all scorers with 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting. Kelsie Siegner added 21 points off the bench with six rebounds. Beverly Slater recorded a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double on top of her seven assists.
 
Libby Mathis led the Beacons with 22 points and 12 rebounds for her fifth straight double-double, while Aspen Slifka posted 21 points and seven rebounds. Aly Mirabile finished with 17 points, matching the second most in her career. Ayden Krupke added 15 points and six assists.
 
Up next, Bushnell hosts the College of Idaho on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.