GILBERT, Ariz. – The Bushnell men's basketball team missed ten of 20 free-throw attempts on Wednesday as Park University-Gilbert pulled away late for a 76-70 victory over the Beacons at the Arizona Athletic Grounds.
 
The Beacons (2-2) shooting woes extended throughout the court as the shot 40% from the field and were just 4-for-17 from three-point range while the Buccaneers (2-2) shot nearly 50 both inside and outside the arch.
 
Bushnell jumped out to an 8-0 lead early and were ahead by nine, 28-19 with five minutes remaining in the first half, but PUG went on a 15-4 run to close out the opening period to take a 34-32 lead.
 
A back-and-fourth second half ensued, with Bushnell opening back up a four-point lead, 51-47 with 12:10 remaining on an and-one completion from Kaleb Burnett. The Bucs once again made a run, however, scoring 11 straight points to put the game out of reach.
 
Head Coach Eddie Alexander said, "We need to make our free-throws and get back to defending the three. It is all about executing and tonight we struggled at both."
 
The Beacons did won a 45-39 advantage in rebounding, including 23 offensive rebounds. They were led by Cory Johnson (pictured), posting a double-double with a team-high 18 points and game-high 12 rebounds. Burnett finished with 13 points, adding seven boards and five assists and Squeeky Johnson hit a trio of three-pointers to earn 11 points. Rylan Donovan had a strong performance off the bench with 14 points and nine rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass.
 
Park-Gilbert was led by Tanner Pate, scoring a game-high 26 points as he hit four three-pointers. Mahlik Lindsey added 12 points and Toate Sika flirted with a triple-double as he earned eight points, ten rebounds, and a game-high six assists.
 
UP NEXT: The Beacons have one more clash on their trip to the Grand Canyon State, taking on the NAIA's No. 2-ranked Arizona Christian University (5-1) in Glendale on Friday at 6:00 pm MT.