EUGENE, Ore. – After trailing most of the contest, the Bushnell women's basketball team climbed all the way back to within three points early in the fourth quarter before succumbing to the Oregon Tech Owls, 66-53 in Cascade Collegiate Conference action.
 
Bushnell scored just 17 points in the first half, were trailing by nine at the intermission, and fell behind by as many as 14 in the third quarter.
 
Down 46-34 with after an OIT three-pointer with 8:41 remaining, the Beacons jumped on the back of Ellis Mastel (pictured) and marched their way back. Mastel scored three straight buckets to kick start a 10-1 run as Bushnell made it 47-44 with just over five minutes to play. The Owls, however, closed on a 19-9 run of their own to put the game out of reach.    
 
Bushnell (6-19, 4-13 CCC) was led by Mastel's 16-point night as the sophomore added six rebounds. Maddie Gerhart scored ten points and had seven rebounds including four on the offensive glass as Bushnell used 11 offensive rebounds to earn an 8-3 advantage in second-chance scoring. Ayden Krupke added ten points for the Beacons as well.
 
The Owls (16-8, 12-4), kept pace with the CCC leaders and are just one game out of first-place as they shot 49% in the contest while forcing Bushnell into 23 turnovers. Tatum Schmerbach led the attack with 21 points and nine rebounds while Olivia Sprague scored 17.
 
UP NEXT: The Beacons stay in Eugene next weekend, playing their final home games of the season on Friday against Eastern Oregon University and Saturday against The College of Idaho.