ASHLAND, Ore. – The Bushnell men's basketball team was unable to hold a ten-point lead down the stretch, watching Southern Oregon University come back to take the Cascade Collegiate Conference game in overtime, 77-67.
The Beacons (5-6, 2-2 CCC) had led the contest 58-48 with eight minutes remaining in regulation only to see the Raiders come all the way back with a 12-0 run. The game would see the lead change hands four more times in the final three minutes, and
Kaleb Burnett would end up forcing overtime for the Beacons as he drove the lane to score with 25 seconds remaining to knot the contest at 65-65.
It was all SOU in the extra session as they scored the first eight points and held Bushnell without a --field goal over the five-minute stretch.
Bushnell shot 35% in the game but kept things close as they forced 20 Raider turnovers. It was Southern Oregon's 51-27 advantage in rebounding, however, that spelled disaster for the Beacons.
"Our lack of rebounding killed us this weekend. Giving up as many offensive rebounds as we are getting defensive rebounds it too much to overcome on a nightly basis and if we are going to win games we have to fix that. I am proud of the fight in our guys, but we are letting ourselves down. I hand it to OIT and SOU, they both made it a priority to win the game there and they did."
The Owls buckled down over the final stretch to hold off the Beacons and remain undefeated in Cascade Conference action.
Bushnell was led once again by senior
Cory Johnson (pictured), scoring 22 points.
Squeeky Johnson had another big night with 20 points, hitting six three-pointers and leading all players with eight assists. Burnett chipped in 13 points, along with a team-high seven rebounds.
Southern Oregon (6-5, 4-0) was led off the bench by Gio Evanson, scoring 25. Elijah Jackson and Brady Rice each scored 11 while Bryce Dyer added seven points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
UP NEXT: The Beacons come home to open up 2026, playing host to The Evergreen State College (0-6, 0-4 CCC) at 7:30 pm on January 2.
