EUGENE, Ore. – The Bushnell men's basketball made two critical stops in the final ten seconds of the game with a block from Ashton Harvey and a steal from Roy Bunn as they hung on to defeat Hope International University on Friday in the Dave Lipp Classic.
Bushnell (4-1) had led by as many as 12 points against the Royals (5-2) a team currently receiving votes in the NAIA national coaches poll, but HIU was able to muscle their way back into an exciting second half.
After trailing for most of the evening, The Royals used an 8-0 run and grabbed their first lead of the period, 68-66 with under eight minutes to play. From there, the teams traded leads three times, before the Beacons were able to pull out to an 82-79 advantage on a Jaden Graham fade away jumper with 2:17 to play. That would be the final field goal for the Beacons, but the home team was able to clamp down defensively, denying Hope on their final two possessions
The Royals did climb to within 82-81 on an Aaron Wadman layup with 50 seconds remaining, and had an opportunity to tie the game with the and-one as Wadman was fouled on the play. The free-throw try failed, and Bushnell rebounded, but Hope got one more chance after a fruitless possessions for the Beacons.
With ten seconds to play, HIU's scoring leader Nick Hopkins was denied on a drive to the hoop, blocked by Harvey and Bunn was fouled immediately upon his defensive rebound. Bunn connected on both of his ensuing free-throws to make it a three-point game and proceeded to make a steal in the final seconds to seal the win.
Head Coach Eddie Alexander said, "I am very proud of the way our guys fought tonight. Big games from Turner on the defensive end and Roy taking care of the ball and finishing at the free-throw line in clutch moments. I am super proud of the way our guys stuck to the game plan and fought through adversity."
The Beacons finished the night shooting 50% from the field, including a sturdy 14-for-28 clip from three-point range. They held a 39-21 advantage in points off the bench as Luke Smith and Christian Pitcher combined for 30 points.
Cory Johnson led the team with 20 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. Smith scored as he went 5-for-8 from three-point range. "I can't speak more highly of the way Cory and Luke played tonight," said Alexander. "The executed the offense and hit big shots throughout the game."
Bunn (pictured) finished the night with a double-double, scoring ten points and ten assists, the most dimes for a Beacon in nearly two years. The junior was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, with all six coming in the final five minutes of the game.
The Royals had a three-game winning streak come do an end, despite holding a strong 44-24 advantage in points in the paint and a 13-5 edge in points off turnovers. Hope out-rebounded the Beacons 36-35 and had 16 offensive boards while also collecting an impressive nine blocked shots, accounting for nearly a third of Bushnell's missed field goal attempts.
Hopkins posted a game-high 23 points and was one of four Royals in double-figures. Sebastian Castro and Grant Sii each hit three three-pointers and scored 15 while Josh Hardiman collected a 10-point/10-rebound double-double along with five blocks.
Bushnell will return to action on Saturday at 3:00 pm, taking on Simpson University (3-4) in the final game of the Dave Lipp Classic. Hope will face Corban (1-3) in the other Saturday game at 12:30 pm.