EUGENE, OR. — The Oregon Tech Lady Owls (16-7, 9-7) battled hard all evening, but a slow start to the game kept them from getting over the hump in Eugene. After falling behind 20-6 in the first period, Bushnell University (16-9, 13-4) used their early lead to hold off the Lady Owls to grab a pivotal victory in CCC play.

Following the game, HC Scott Meredith said: "After digging quite a hole for ourselves in the first quarter, we made it a game despite the missed shots and turnovers. We had a real chance when we got the deficit down to 6 in the 4th quarter a couple possessions, but Bushnell answered each time. Our team played hard and I'm proud of the effort. Will bring it tomorrow against Corban."

Bushnell University 74 Oregon Tech 64

Looking to bounce back off a loss to Northwest last weekend, Tech came out flat, costing them the opportunity to breathe life back into their National Tournament hopes. 

The Lady Owls started the game 0-for-10 from the floor, allowing Bushnell to jump out to an 11-0 lead that quickly ballooned to 20-6.

However, the Lady Owls didn't let the moment define them and would continue to battle all evening.

OIT scratched and clawed their way back, pressuring the home side into a few timeouts to attempt to hault Tech's momentum.

Tech was able to close the gap to six with 9:33 remaining but couldn't get over the hump, resulting in back-to-back defeats in conference play.

The Lady Owls had two players in double figures on Friday: 

Maddyson Tull: 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting with seven rebounds

Kristin Farrell: 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting 

Bushnell University was led by Aspen Slifka, who scored a game-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting.

Tech will have a chance to bounce back tomorrow, desperately needing a win to keep their hopes of a trip to the national tournament alive.

The Lady Owls will travel to face Corban (4-20, 3-15) at 3:00 on Saturday.