PORTLAND, Ore. – The Bushnell men's basketball team closed the game on a 20-8 run and held Warner Pacific to just two field goals over the final six minutes of the game, pulling away for an 86-76 victory in Cascade Collegiate Conference action.
 
The Beacons (5-4, 2-0 CCC) had opened up a big early lead, but saw the Knights rally to take a five-point lead late in the first half. A three-pointer from Kaleb Burnett closed the half with a 36-36 tie and the teams would trade five leads and battle to nine ties over the course of the second half.
 
Trailing 69-65 with 6:06 to play, Burnett and Ashton Harvey sparked the Beacons with back-to-back layups and Squeeky Johnson gave the visitors the lead for good with a three-pointer and the route was one. Another Squeeky Johnson triple, followed by treys from Cory Johnson and Jacob Martinez put the final touches on Bushnell's third straight victory.
 
"Tonight was a little bit of a grind as Warner Pac shot lights out," said Head Coach Eddie Alexander, "but we stayed true to the scouting report and were able to pull away at the end. I was really proud of Jacob Martinez and the way he came off the bench, hit a big shot, and locked down on defense. Big games from KB and Cory and Squeeky was able to get loose for some big shots. Our dudes showed up tonight."
 
Burnett finished the game with 23 points for the Beacons, followed by a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double from Cory Johnson. Squeeky Johnson added 16 points and Harvey chipped in 11 as the Beacons used a 49-18 advantage in bench scoring.
 
Warner Pacific (4-5, 0-2) had three players in double-digits, led by 22 points from Josh Lincoln, shooting an efficient 8-for-9 from the field. Chad Napoleon added 17 points while Jurrien Sparks scored 15.
 
UP NEXT: The Beacons will take a well deserved break for finals, and will return to action in two weeks, traveling to take on Oregon Tech on December 19.