By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Carolyn Ho (Sr., G, Parker, CO/Ponderosa HS) and Elyse Waldal (Jr., Snohomish, WA/Glacier Peak HS/Linfield University) each scored 11 points and Willamette University launched a strong rally in the fourth quarter, but Bushnell University held on for a 73-62 win over the Bearcats on Wednesday, Nov. 8.
The victory at Cone Field House improved Bushnell's record to 1-2 on the season. The Beacons compete in the NAIA and the Cascade Collegiate Conference. Willamette, playing its season opener, moved to 0-1. The Bearcats are members of NCAA Division III and the Northwest Conference.
In addition to the scoring from Ho and Waldal, Ava Kitchin (Sr., P, Redmond, OR/Redmond HS) added eight points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Bearcats, while Jasmine Shigeno (Jr., G, Brush Prairie, WA/Hockinson HS) finished with eight points and three assists. Also earning three assists for Willamette were Ho, Kaitlin Imai (So., G, Santa Cruz, CA/Scotts Valley HS), Peyton Gardner (So., G, Bend, OR/Bend HS), and Addie Hiler (Fy., F, Boise, ID/Bishop Kelly HS).
Waldal and Ashley Collins (Sr., P, Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills HS) each brought down four rebounds. Imai was credited with a game-high three steals to go along with three boards.
Aspen Slifka of Bushnell led the Beacons with 24 points and seven rebounds. Libby Mathis tacked on 14 points and six rebounds. Ayden Krupke accumulated 13 points and five assists, while Liv Tjoelker scored 10 points and hauled down five boards.
The Beacons held a 21-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. Willamette took an early 6-2 lead and owned a 12-11 edge on a driving layup from Ho with 3:38 left in the quarter. Bushnell responded with a 7-0 run that started with a 3-pointer by Aly Mirabile. After Collins scored on a jumper for WU, the Beacons added a 3-pointer by Krupke. Gardner scored the final basket of the quarter for Willamette with 17 seconds on the clock.
Bushnell surged into a double-digit lead in the second quarter, as the Beacons used a 10-0 run to turn a 24-21 lead into a 13-point margin with 4:41 remaining in the half. The run included a 3-pointer and two 2-point baskets by Slifka. A basket from Waldal at the 3:42 mark pulled the Bearcats within 34-24, but Bushnell scored the final six points of the half to take a 40-24 lead into the halftime break.
In the third quarter, the Beacons took a 46-28 advantage in the first three minutes, but the teams mostly exchanged baskets for the rest of the quarter. Bushnell was in front 58-40 at the end of the quarter.
Willamette battled back in the fourth quarter with a 22-15 scoring edge. Shigeno tallied five points during the quarter, while Imai and Hiler each scored four points and Kitchin grabbed three rebounds.
The Bearcats cut the margin to 58-44 on a basket by Hiler with 8:16 left. The Beacons claimed a 64-47 lead on a 3-pointer by Liv Tjoelker with 6:19 to play. Willamette responded with a 7-0 string of points to pull within 64-56 on two free throws by Gardner with 4:10 remaining. WU also trailed by eight points, 66-58, at the 2:39 mark, but the Beacons scored the next four points on their way to securing the win.
WU will be back in action on Sunday, Nov. 12 when the Bearcats will take on Whittier College (Calif.) at Cone Field House. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. PST.
