WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Friday 2/23 at College of Idaho, 5:30 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 2/24 at Eastern Oregon, 3:00 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
 
Bushnell (15-11, 11-9 CCC) is coming off two tough losses against No. 22 Southern Oregon and No. 25 Oregon Tech. The Beacons are looking to bounce back on the road against the College of Idaho and Eastern Oregon.
 
RECORDS AND MILESTONES: In Friday's game against Southern Oregon, junior post Libby Mathis set Bushnell's single-season rebounding record, with 281 rebounds. This record was previously owned by Lindsey Shearer, who set the record in 2012.
 
Aspen Slifka who already owns school records for field goal and three-point attempts, is closing in on Morgan McKinney's all-time scoring record. Slifka has scored 1,777 points and needs 54 to break the record.
 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: As we approach the last weekend of the regular season, only five teams have clinched a playoff spot, leaving room for three more teams to enter the scene. No. 6 Lewis-Clark State is sitting at the top of the standings, with a conference record of 19-1. Behind them is No. 22 Southern Oregon (18-2), followed by No. 25 Oregon Tech (17-3).
 
Bushnell is locked into fifth place in the CCC standings and Eastern Oregon is locked into fourth, meaning they begin the first round of the conference tournament on the road against Eastern Oregon (14-6) on February 27.  
 
The Beacons are seventh in the CCC in scoring, averaging 61.5 points per game. On the other end, Bushnell is ranked third defensively, allowing just 59.0 ppg, while holding opponents to a fourth-best 36.5% from the field. The Beacons are third in field goal percentage (.421) and third in defensive rebounds (27.4 rpg).
 
Individually, senior guard Aspen Slifka is first in scoring in conference action, averaging 19.7 points per game, and she is eighth in steals at 1.9 per game. Slifka is also the team's second-leading rebounder at 6.4 rebounds per game. Libby Mathis is eighth in scoring in the CCC (14.8 ppg), first in rebounding (12.0 rpg), second in field-goal percentage (.559), and second in blocks (2.0 bpg). Aly Mirabile is currently leading the conference in assists (4.6 apg) while all five Bushnell starters rank in the top-ten in the CCC for minutes played.
 
COLLEGE OF IDAHO: The Yotes (9-17, 9-11 CCC) are coming off a weekend split on the road. After a 61-45 loss against Evergreen, the Yotes bounced back in Kirkland with a 76-68 win over Northwest.
 
College of Idaho is ninth in offense, scoring 61.1 points per game. The Yotes are also ninth defensively in the CCC, holding opponents to 68.9 points per game. They are eighth in field-goal percentage (.374), second-to-last in field goal percentage defense (.427), last in three-point percentage defense (.336), and fifth in three-pointers made per game (7.2).
 
The Yotes are led by Mia Austin, who is 18th in the conference in scoring at 12.0 points per game. Austin is third in the CCC in threes made per game, at 2.9. Behind her in scoring is freshman forward Brooke Beresford, who is averaging 10.0 ppg. Beresford is also averaging 7.7 rebounds per game, which is good for sixth-best in the CCC.
 
The Beacons won the first match-up against College of Idaho in Eugene on January 13, 59-51. The Yotes hold a 19-14 advantage in the all-time series, with the Beacons winning their last six meetings. 
 
EASTERN OREGON: The Mountaineers (18-6, 14-6 CCC) are on a four-game winning streak after sweeping Northwest and Evergreen on the road. They have been playing very strong basketball, winning 11 of their last 13 games.
 
The Mounties are third in the CCC in scoring, averaging 70.8 points per game. They are the fifth-ranked defense in the conference, allowing their opponents to score 60.6 points per contest. They are fourth in field-goal percentage (.418), fourth in three-point percentage (.334), third in assists (15.8 apg), second in offensive rebounding (13.3 rpg), and second in three-pointers made per game (8.0).
 
Eastern Oregon is led by junior forward Brie Holecek, who does it all for the Mounties. Holecek is second in the CCC in scoring (18.4 ppg), top-20 in rebounding (6.1 rpg), top-15 in assists (2.7 apg), first in three-point percentage (.430), and six in threes per game (2.3). The Mounties are also led by Beverly Slater, who is the second-leading rebounder in the CCC at 10.2 rebounds per game. 
 
The Beacons lost their first matchup against the Mounties in the Morse Event Center on January 12, 87-75. Eastern holds a 25-12 advantage in the all-times series against Bushnell, winning the last three match-ups.
 
 

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Friday 2/23 at College of Idaho, 7:30 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 2/24 at Eastern Oregon, 5:00 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
 
The Beacons (15-9, 12-6 CCC) are coming off a tough weekend at home against Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech. Before that, the Beacons had won six straight, including a huge win against (RV) Lewis-Clark State on January 9.  
 
2000-POINT WATCH: Fifth-year senior Stevie Schlabach is quickly approaching the 2,000-point milestone for his career, which has only been reached by two other Beacons in the history of Bushnell basketball. Schlabach is only 23 points shy of becoming the first Beacon to achieve this milestone in 33 years. With three more games guaranteed on the schedule, Schlabach has a great chance to cement himself in the 2,000-point club, which only has two other members: Hall of Famers Mat Sand and Jon Willis.   
 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: With just one weekend left in the season, seven teams have secured their playoff spot in the conference tournament. The fight for the fourth seed and a home playoff game is tight, with three teams all looking to secure a home game. No. 3 College of Idaho leads the pack at 19-1, followed by No. 16 Oregon Tech and Lewis-Clark State, who are both 17-3 in conference. Corban, Southern Oregon, and Bushnell are all fighting for the final home playoff game, which means the games this weekend are very important.
 
For the Beacons, the scenario is simple: In order to clinch fourth, they need two wins and need both SOU and Corban to lose both of their games.
 
The Beacons continue to lead the conference in scoring, averaging 89.9 points per game. Bushnell is currently eighth defensively, allowing their opponents to score 84.4 points per contest. The Beacons are No. 1 for three-point shooting (.408) and free-throw shooting (.767), and No. 2 for overall field goal shooting (.495). The Beacons are also second in the conference in rebounds (38.5/g) and third in assists (16.8/g).
 
Individually, Stevie Schlabach ranks fifth in the conference in scoring (16.2 ppg) while Kaden Sand is seventh (15.3 ppg). Spencer Hoffman leads the CCC with 9.5 rebounds per game while Schlabach (.513) and Cory Johnson (.472) land in first and second on the three-point percentage list.
 
COLLEGE OF IDAHO: The Yotes (24-2, 19-1 CCC) are coming off a dominant weekend sweep against Evergreen and Northwest. They lost their first conference game against Southern Oregon but have won 19-straight games since.
 
College of Idaho is strong on both sides of the ball, sitting at second in the CCC in scoring at 88.3 points per game, and first in defense, holding their opponents to just 65.0 points per game. The Yotes are third in field-goal percentage (.489), first in field-goal percentage defense (.403), first in rebounding (43.4 rpg), first in assists (17.8 apg), first in steals (8.9 spg), and first in three-pointers made per game (10.5).
 
The Yotes are led in scoring by Eugene native Samaje Morgan, who is averaging 14.0 points per game, which is good for 13th in the CCC. Morgan is also fourth in the CCC in assists at 4.1 per game. They also have two other top-25 scorers in Johnny Radford (13.0 ppg) and Drew Wyman (12.8 ppg) who are both in the top ten for threes made per game.
 
The Beacons fell to the College of Idaho in their first meeting in the Morse Event Center on January 13, 68-101. The Yotes hold a 25-8 advantage in the all-time series with the Beacons and have won nine straight meetings.
 
EASTERN OREGON: The Mountaineers (11-15, 10-10) are coming off two tough losses on the road against Northwest and Evergreen. The Mounties have already clinched their playoff spot, sitting comfortably as the seventh seed.
 
Eastern Oregon is currently ranked seventh in the CCC offensively, scoring 77.2 points per game. Defensively, the Mounties are fifth, holding their opponents to 75.3 points per contest. They are ninth in field-goal percentage (.437) and field-goal percentage defense (.469), second in offensive rebounding (11.0 per game), and third in threes made per game (9.3). 
 
The Mounties are led by sophomore guard Garrett Hawkes, who is fourth in the conference in scoring at 16.3 points per game. Hawkes is also ninth in steals (1.3 spg) and sixth in threes made per game (2.3).
 
In their previous match up on January 12 in the Morse Event Cetner, Stevie Schlabach and Kaden Sand combined for 51 points in a 92-89 win for the Beacons. The Mounties hold the advantage in the all-time series over Bushnell, 21-13, with the Beacons winning four of the last seven.
 

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Friday 2/23 @ Corban, 10:00 am
Friday 2/23 vs. Sacramento State, 2:00 pm
Saturday 2/24 vs. University of Portland, 12:00 pm
 
Bushnell (2-3) is set to return to action this weekend, heading to Corban University for a mini-tournament.  
 
CORBAN: The Warriors come into the 2024 season ranked No. 3 in the NAIA after a runner-up finish at the NAIA National Invitational last season. This weekend will be their first matches of the season.
 
Corban will have a very different look this season as eight of their ten regular starters from last year graduated, including All-American talent Avari Ridgeway who was regarded as one of the best Beach players in the NAIA. 
 
The Beacons and Warriors have clashed many times over the years and Bushnell is still looking for their first win in the series. Corban has won 13 times over the past two years.
 
SACRAMENTO STATE: The Hornets will also be opening their season against Bushnell on Friday afternoon. The NCAA Division I program has been around since 2013 and they are still looking for their first winning season. They do seem to be on an upward trajectory, going from zero to six wins over the past three seasons.
 
This will be the first-ever meeting between Bushnell and Sac State.
 
UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND: The Pilots, also an NCAA Division I program, went 5-17 last year and will be opening their season this weekend.
 
Bushnell is 1-4 all-time against UP, and picked up their first-ever win against an NCAA Division I opponent when they defeated the Pilots 3-2 last season.
 

BASEBALL

Friday 2/23 vs. British Columbia, 2:00 pm (G1 Livestats | G2 Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 2/24 vs. British Columbia, 11:00 am (G3 Livestats | G4 Livestats | Video Stream)
 
The Beacons (5-4) host the University of British Columbia in their home opener this weekend for a four-game non-conference series. UBC, who is receiving votes in the NAIA preseason baseball poll, won the CCC Tournament Championship last season, earning themselves a spot in the NAIA Tournament. The Thunderbirds were eliminated in the Opening Round.   
 
Bushnell went 2-1 last week, splitting a doubleheader with Pacific Lutheran before defeating Saint Martin's University.
 
On Saturday, the Beacons fell in the opener before piling on a school-record 17 runs in the game two victory. Sunday's game with Saint Martin's was a defensive battle until Bushnell broke through in the late innings. Nate Rasmussen, who threw 5.2 innings, and Daniel Furman were combining for a no-hitter until a two-out single in the eighth.
 
The Beacons are batting .292 as a team with nine players over .300. The pitching staff holds a combined 4.01 ERA. Both are top marks among CCC schools.
 
BRITISH COLUMBIA: The Thunderbirds are off to an 8-3 start to the year, including three wins over No. 11 Hope International University.
 
Outfielder Mitchell Middlemiss and first baseman Trent Lenihan, who have both earned CCC Player of the Week honors, are leading the Thunderbirds offensively. Middlemiss has a .455 average through 11 games with four home runs and 19 RBI. Lenihan is batting .451 with seven doubles, five home runs and 11 RBI. CCC Pitcher of the Year, Ryan Heppner, leads the pitching staff with a 1.42 ERA, giving up just four hits through 12.2 innings.  
 
British Columbia holds a 12-4 advantage in the all-time series with Bushnell and has won the last five games of the matchup.
 
 

ESPORTS

Saturday 2/24 Fortnite Qualifier #3, 12 p.m.
 
LAST WEEK: The spring Fortnite season got underway two weeks ago as Christian Velazquez and Ethan Slayden posted 68 points (53 placement, 15 eliminations) in the first qualifier to finish fourth and earn themselves a direct bid to the Collegiate Championship.
 
The third and final qualifier will take place on Saturday, Feb. 24 at noon.
 
Rocket League is back in action this week with a game against Lethbridge College on Monday at 5:30 p.m. The Beacons (2-1) are tied for third in the West-Central Conference with three games to go in the regular season.