By Mario Ponce

EUGENE, Ore. - The Bushnell Beacons women’s basketball team (8-5) will host the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers (8-4) and the College of Idaho Yotes (3-11) as they look to continue the good start to their 2024 calendar year. The Beacons have a 2-1 record at the Morse Center this season and look to extend it with two wins.

Eastern Oregon Mountaineers:

The Mountaineers have a better overall record than the Beacons, but the home team has a better record in the Cascade Collegiate Conference at 4-3, while the visitors come with 4-4. Bushnell started the season with three straight losses and then three straight wins, and since has stayed remarkably consistent, never winning or losing more than two in a row. The Mountaineers also have had streaks of three wins and three losses, and like the Beacons, they’re 1-1 since the new year began.

College of Idaho Yotes:

The Yotes have struggled this season, though. Just like the other two teams they’re 1-1 in 2024. In December, Eastern Oregon visited Caldwell and lost to the Yotes 69-63 in the closest game the College of Idaho has had all season. All other wins and losses the Yotes have had this season have been by double digits, and they have a 3-5 record in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.

Prediction:

I expect the Beacons to win both games if they play as consistently as they have all season. The game against the Mountaineers looks to be a back-and-forth offensive showdown and I predict a score of 70-67 for Bushnell. The game against the Yotes seems simpler on paper, but the College of Idaho has found better form recently, so this game could be close. I predict 64-53 for the Beacons.