LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon began a new winning streak Saturday afternoon, defeating Bushnell University 56–45 in convincing fashion in front of a home crowd. Siegner led all scorers with a dominant 20-point performance.
Bushnell opened the game with a quick 10–0 run, holding Eastern scoreless to start. Following a timeout, the Mountaineers regrouped and began chipping away at the Beacons' lead. Eastern quickly rattled off nine points to cut the deficit to just one with three minutes remaining in the first period. The two teams continued to trade baskets, with Bushnell holding a one-point advantage at the end of the quarter.
The Mountaineers used the second quarter to take back control, doubling Bushnell's scoring output and extending their lead. Within the first three minutes, Eastern Oregon built a seven-point advantage. Bushnell attempted to respond but struggled to find a shooting rhythm, managing just one three-pointer before the Mountaineers went on another 7–0 run to push the lead into double figures. The Beacons closed the half with a single free throw as the teams headed into the locker rooms with Eastern leading 33–23.
Despite holding the advantage and momentum, the third quarter marked Eastern's lowest-scoring period of the season. The Mountaineers struggled to find the basket, going nearly seven minutes without a field goal, while the Beacons put together a 6–0 run to cut into the deficit. Eastern responded with a 9–0 run to open the fourth quarter. Although Bushnell continued to chip away, the Mountaineers' consistency on both ends of the floor pushed the lead back into double digits and kept the game out of reach.
Siegner dominated both ends of the court. Offensively, she finished with 20 points on 61.5% shooting and was perfect from the free-throw line. Defensively, she recorded three blocks, three steals, and seven rebounds—six of them on the defensive end.
Ayden Krupke led the Beacons offensively with 15 points, while Kenzi Pedersen followed with 12 points on an efficient 45.5% shooting. Ciena Tumoine anchored the defense with 13 rebounds and two steals.
Overall, it was a low-scoring day for the Mountaineers, who shot just 29.8% from the field and relied heavily on free throws, converting 57.1%. The difference came at the line, where Eastern capitalized on 11 of 16 extra opportunities.
With the win, the Mountaineers improve to 17–1 overall and 9–1 in conference play. The Beacons fall to 5–13 overall and 3–7 in CCC action.
Eastern Oregon returns to the road Friday, January 23, traveling to College Place, Washington, to face Walla Walla University at 12:00 p.m.
