ROCKLIN, Calif. – The Bushnell women's basketball team played another close contest on Thursday evening, coming up just a little short with a 65-63 loss to Jessup University. The Beacons were starting off the Bill Holtz Classic, hosted by the Warriors.      
 
The Beacons (1-4) had the ball with an opportunity to tie or win in the final seconds, but couldn't get the last shot to fall as Jessup (1-2) claimed their first victory over the Beacons since 2018.
 
Bushnell had trouble finding their offense in the first half, shooting just 22% from the field as the Warriors claimed a 28-22 lead at the intermission. The Beacons battled back to take the lead in the third-quarter and were winning 54-51 with five minutes to go after back-to-back layups from Maddie Gerhart.
 
Jessup, however, battled back, taking the lead for good with just over a minute to play. The Beacons missed two of four free throws in the final 40 seconds, but still had an opportunity as they trailed by two with four seconds remaining, but couldn't get the ball to go in on a well-contested shot at the buzzer.
 
Head Coach Chad Meadors said, "We played a great second half tonight. I think it's becoming a trend with a slow start and fast finish and we just came up short. We had a lot of good things, a lot of positives and we came alive offensively in the third quarter. We need to figure out how to start that way and play all four quarters. We are fighting for consistency and continuity, and the slow starts are something we need to address and get better at. I love our fight, and I know this group is going to get there."
 
Leading the way for the Beacons was Gerhart, who came into play 22 minutes off the bench, scoring a double-double with 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds as Bushnell out-rebounded Jessup, 45-43. "Maddie played outstanding today," said Meadors, "kinda having a breakout game which you could see it coming in practice, it was just a matter of time."
 
Senior Ayden Krupke and sophomore Sabrina Flowers added 11 points apiece for the Beacons while Ciena Tumoine and Dayvis Key each chipped in with seven. Tumoine added a team-high four assists.
 
The Warriors were led by Porter Wood, scoring 23 points while Amari Guiton and Giselle Dogan both scored ten points. Jessup was held to just 36% shooting in the game including a 3-for-14 night from three-point range as the Bushnell defense continued to flex.
 
UP NEXT: The Beacons close out the Bill Holtz Warrior Classic against another NCAA Division II squads on Friday, taking on Stanislaus State on Friday at 12:00 pm. It will be the season-opener for the Warriors.