SALEM, Ore. – An officials review called back a would-be buzzer-beating game-tying bucket by Willamette University and Bushnell escaped with a dramatic come-from-behind win over the Bearcats on Saturday, 51-49.
The Beacons (1-3) trailed 31-18 after a rough offensive first half, but stormed back after the intermission as they held the Bearcats to 26% shooting including an 0-for-11 effort from three-point range.
Bushnell still trailed by six points, 40-34, entering the fourth quarter, but scored the first seven points including a lead-taking three-pointer from senior
Ayden Krupke with six minutes remaining. From there, the teams were tied twice before Bushnell took the lead for good on a pair of
Kenzi Pedersen free-throws with 2:55 on the clock.
Riley Walden gave Willamette temporary hope of overtime, hitting field-goal as time expired, only to have the officials determine that the ball was still in her hands as the clock hit zeroes, and Bushnell escaped with their first win of the season.
Head Coach
Chad Meadors said, "That was a tough one tonight, but we figured out a way to get it. We needed all 40 minutes of basketball, and it was hard to score points, especially in the first half. Defensively we really stepped up in the second half. Our full court pressure wore them down toward the end, and I was pleased with that."
Krupke led the Beacons with 17 points, hitting a trio of three-pointers while
Ciena Tumoine (pictured) added 11 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. Pedersen chipped in ten points while
Karlee VonMoos scored eight points and nine rebounds. Bushnell finished the night out-rebounding Willamette, 48-40.
"Ciena was our rock tonight with the double-double as a point guard," said Meadors. "Ayden hit big shots at the end and Kenzi was 4-for-4 at the free-throw line down the stretch."
Willamette (1-1) was led by Gabby Wilson, coming off the bench to score ten points. Daisy Boling-Schmidt scored five along with a team-high 11 rebounds.
Bushnell held the Bearcats under the 50-point mark after their first three opponents were averaging 75 points per game during the three-game losing streak.
"We needed a little validation," said Meadors. "We had a tough road trip to Montana last week so having the opportunity to get us going in the right direction and seeing the hard work we put in this week pay off was what we needed."
UP NEXT: The Beacons head to Northern California next weekend to play in the Bill Holtz Warrior Classic against a pair of NCAA Division II squads. They take on tourney host Jessup University (0-2) on Thursday at 5:00 pm and then face off against Stanislaus State on Friday at 12:00 pm.
