GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The Bushnell men's basketball team started the 2025-2026 season with a huge win on Friday afternoon, taking down tournament-host University of Providence 99-66 at the Providence Classic.
 
The Beacons (1-0) led from wire-to-wire and turned an 11-point halftime advantage into a blowout as they shot 53% from the field in the second half and forced the Argos into 19 turnovers. Bushnell hit 14 three-pointers in the game 13 different players put up points in the win. The visitors collected 23 assists in the game from ten different players as three different Beacons posted a game-high with four.
 
"Tonight we were able to show out depth," said Head Coach Eddie Alexander. "We have several guys that can really play and be extremely successful individually within the team framework of how we want to play. I am very pleased with our defensive work and the commitment to playing hard on that end of the floor."
 
Leading the way for the Beacons was sophomore Kaleb Burnett (pictured), scoring 23 points which included 19 in the first half. The Bushnell bench out-scored the Argo reserves 59-35 in the game, led by 15 points from Isaiah Wallace who was 4-for-7 from three-point range.
 
"Getting out to a fast start and bringing energy really helped us tonight," said Burnett. "I think we have a group of guys who are all bought-in this year. We all want to win and play unselfish basketball. We put in a lot of work in the off-season and we are able to play All-Gas, No-Breaks."
 
"We wanted to prove ourselves right out of the gate," added Wallace. "We have been battling each other in practice for many weeks before our first game and it felt great to let out the energy against another opponent."
 
Keenan Reckamp added 11 points and Jacob Martinez earned ten in their Bushnell debuts. Also making his Beacon debut was 6'9" junior Forward Cam Berry. In just 13 minutes of action, he collected six points, five blocked shots, and tied for the team-high with five rebounds.
 
Providence (0-3) was led by Jermaine Rogers and Brendan Redhead, coming off the bench to score 12 points apiece. The Argos shot 38% from the field and were just 6-for-21 from three-point range.   
 
UP NEXT: The Beacons will close out the Providence Classic on Saturday, taking on Montana State-Northern (1-1) at 12:00 pm.