by Clayton Messerle, WPU communications
Eugene, Ore. | Following a two-week pause on WPU Athletic Events due to COVID-19 related concerns, the Warner Pacific University Women’s Basketball team (8-9, 6-6) bounced back in a big way Friday night, downing the Bushnell University Beacons (12-9, 9-4) on their home court at the Morse Center by a final score of 67-52.
The fresh legs of the Knights benefited them greatly in the first quarter, running their usual full-court press to confound the Beacons into committing seven turnovers in just the first 10 minutes of play. Bushnell would continue to have no answer on the opposite end of the court as well, allowing nine points off those costly turnovers, and 21 total in the quarter that led to a seven-point Warner Pacific advantage heading into the second quarter.
The onslaught of turnovers would not end for either team in the second ten-minute session, as Bushnell would hit the double-digit mark in the category just four minutes into the period, while the Knights sat at five turnovers of their own at the same mark. However, the Knights would go on to suffer a drought of their own, allowing a 13-0 run to the Beacons to runout the first half, and metaphorically flipping the switch in a game that Warner Pacific had complete control of throughout a majority of the contest up to this point.
Senior guard Courtney Jackson had her way with the Beacons in the first half, hitting three-pointers at will to lead all scorers with 13 points, all while hauling in four rebounds as both squads left the court for the halftime break. Beacons’ guard Aspen Slifka found the most consistency for Bushnell early in this game, scoring 11 points of her own after 20 minutes played.
The scoring drought would continue into the second half for the Knights, failing to score until the five-minute mark of the third quarter when senior guard Lynden Harry hit a three-pointer to end a nine minute and 30 second offensive silence. Harry would follow that up with a steal and assist to Jackson, putting the Knights back into this game that they had seamlessly let slip away in the first half, now down just four points with 4:44 left on the clock in the third quarter.
Harry would continue to be the offensive presence the Knights needed to crawl their way back into this contest, scoring 12 points in the third quarter, all due to a perfect 4-4 from beyond the three-point arc. A game of droughts would prove to be the narrative of this game, as the Knights would go on a 16-3 run going into the fourth and final quarter.
WPU needed to extend this run to have any chance of closing out a road win in Eugene, and managed to accomplish that in part by scoring the first ten points of the quarter before Bushnell finally managed to score on a put-back off a missed free throw to end the streak. However, Warner Pacific managed to extend the lead to 14 points before that basket for the Beacons, creating quite the uphill climb for the Beacons to start chipping away.
A double-digit lead proved to be too much for the Beacons, as the Knights would pull away late in the second half, and come away with their solid road victory to add to their 2021-22 resume.
Jackson led all scorers tonight with 21 points, and led the team with eight rebounds, falling just two shy of a much-deserved double-double. Harry came through in the clutch for Warner Pacific, scoring 18 of her 20 points in the second half, and leading the team at the helm of the offensive presence with four assists.
