It's officially the winter sports season for the Beacons, which currently means all basketball all the time! The hoops teams will be in action this Friday night, hitting the road for Corban University, plus a bonus non-conference game for the ladies.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Friday 12/13 at Corban University, 5:30 pm
Sunday 12/15 at Linfield, 3:00 pm
 
THIS WEEK: Bushnell looks to remain undefeated in CCC action when they take on Corban University before closing out the weekend on the road at Linfield.
 
LAST WEEK: The Beacons (3-4, 2-0 CCC) started the CCC schedule off on the right note, claiming home victories over Multnomah and Warner Pacific.
 
Ayden Krupke led the way for the Beacons in the 66-65 nail biter over Multnomah with a double-double, scoring 17 points and 11 rebounds. Libby Mathis finished with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting while Ellis Mastel came off the bench to score 13. Size and strength played a big part in the win for the Beacons, who earned a 38-16 advantage on points in the paint and used 13 offensive rebounds to score nine important second-chance points. Depth was also key as the Beacons held a 20-9 margin in points off the bench. Bushnell shot 39% in the game and forced the Lions into 23 turnovers.
 
A strong defensive effort powered the Beacons to a 67-46 blowout of Warner Pacific, holding the Knights to their lowest point total of the season. Bushnell pulled away with a 21-6 second quarter and never looked back. Mathis kept her big weekend going with 17 points, shooting 7-for-8 from the field while Mastel scored 13 and seven rebounds off the bench and Krupke added another 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: The Beacons are one of five teams that are still undefeated in CCC action after the first weekend. No. 4-ranked Southern Oregon and No. 13 Lewis-Clark State and are both 8-0 on the season to lead the conference while Oregon Tech, currently receiving votes, sits at 6-2.  
 
The Beacons moved up from 11th to seventh in the CCC in scoring this week, coming in at 60.7 points per game. Bushnell is ranked eighth defensively, allowing 65.6 ppg,
 
With 14.7 points per game, Ayden Krupke is currently third in the CCC in scoring while Libby Mathis (13.9 ppg) is ranked seventh. Ellis Mastel is third in the CCC in shooting, hitting 56.1% of her shots, while Mathis ranks third in blocked shots with 1.1 per contest.
 
CORBAN: After a 1-4 start to their season, the Warriors have bounced back with three straight wins and are one of the five undefeated teams in CCC action after defeating WPU and WCJU by an average of 19 points per game last weekend.
 
The Warriors are fourth in the CCC in scoring, averaging 71.5 points per game but they are 11th defensively, allowing opponents to score 73 ppg. Corban is an efficient team, ranked third in the conference for field goal percentage (.402) and free throw percentage (.686) and second in three-point percentage (.337). They lead the conference and are fourth in the NAIA with 10.4 three-pointers made per game.
 
Alyssa Wyllie is the Warriors top scorer, averaging 12.3 points per game which ranks 13th in the conference. Lizzy Bennett and Tori Younker average 10.3 apiece. Sitting at 9.5 ppg, Gemma LaVergne ranks second in the conference in 3-point percentage, hitting 36.9 percent of her outside shots.
 
Bushnell holds a 25-19 lead in the all-time series with the Warriors and have won 11 straight, dating back to 2019.  Last season Bushnell swept the series by an average margin of 15 points per game.
 
LINFIELD: The Wildcats are 7-0 and off to their best start in school history, including a 20-point win over Corban University. They will also host Warner Pacific on Saturday before taking on the Beacons on Sunday.
 
During their current winning streak, Linfield is beating opponents by an average of ten points per game, scoring 68.7 ppg and shooting 43% from the field. They hold a +13.5 rebounding advantage with 4.3 blocks per game.
 
Gillyan Landis leads the team with 14.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, shooting 59% from the field while all five starters are scoring at least 8.9 points per game.
 
The Beacons are 7-4 all-time against the Wildcats and have won four straight in the series, dating back to 2015. Last season Bushnell won in Eugene, 59-46, led by 14 points and eight rebounds from Libby Mathis.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Friday 12/13 at Corban University, 7:30 pm
 
THIS WEEK: Bushnell heads to Salem on Friday night to take on their Willamette Valley rival Corban University in Cascade Collegiate Conference action.
 
LAST WEEK: The Beacons split their conference-opening weekend, falling to Multnomah University 74-70 before defeating Warner Pacific, 85-77.
 
Against the Lions, Bushnell led by 11 points at the intermission, 40-29, but Multnomah hit 55% from the field in the second half to climb back into the game and escape the Morse Center with the victory. Cory Johnson led the Beacons, scoring 23 points and ten rebounds while the Bench out-scored the MCJU reserves, 31-7 behind 13 points from Luke Smith.
 
The Bushnell depth was on full display on Saturday in the win over Warner Pacific with the bench scoring another 34 points. The Beacons led by as many as 16 points in the second half but had to fight off a late charge from the Knights, who climbed within two before Squeeky Johnson and Isaiah Wallace hit back-to-back threes to put the game out of reach. Johnson scored another 19 points and seven rebounds while Kaleb Burnett added 12. Cole Beardsley got his first career start and made the most of it with a game-high seven rebounds and seven assists.  
 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: After the first weekend of CCC action, only three teams remain undefeated in conference play. No. 2-ranked College of Idaho is 2-0 and No. 15 Lewis-Clark State is 3-0. Both teams are 7-1 overall. Corban is also undefeated in conference.
 
The Beacons are currently second in the CCC in scoring, averaging 85.1 points per game, and seventh defensively, allowing 73.6ppg. Bushnell leads the CCC in steals, averaging 8.4 per game, holds a conference-best +5.6 turnover margin, and is third in assists, averaging 14.4 per game.
 
Cory Johnson leads the Beacons and is fifth in the CCC in scoring, averaging 17 points per game. Turner Livingston ranks third in the conference for three-point shooting, hitting 50% of his attempts, and Cole Beardsley is fourth in the CCC with a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Luke Smith is currently second in the conference in free-throw percentage, hitting 91% of his attempts thus far.
 
CORBAN: After a 1-4 start to their season, the Warriors have bounced back with three straight wins and are one of the three undefeated teams in CCC action after defeating both WPU and MCJU by 12 points last weekend.
 
Corban is eighth in the CCC in scoring, averaging 75 points per game, but they are No. 2 on defense, allowing just 66 points per contest which ranks 18th in the NAIA. They lead the conference in three-point shooting defense, allowing opponents to hit just 27% from the outside, and they are second in the CCC in blocks with 3.5 per game.
 
In eight games, the Warriors have had five different leading scorers. Spivey Wood leads the team in scoring and is 11th in the CCC, averaging 13.3 points per game while former Beacon Drayton Caoile is 25th with 11.4 ppg.
 
Friday marks the 74th all-time meeting between Bushnell and Corban, dating back to 1987. The Warriors hold a 51-22 lead in the all-time series and an 18-16 margin since the Beacons joined the Cascade Conference in 2007. Corban swept last season's pair of games, 87-81 in Salem and 81-79 in Eugene.