Team to kick off the new year with game against Lewis-Clark State in Idaho
Eliza DiGiulio scored a career-high 26 points and Southern Oregon forced 20 turnovers in its 40th consecutive Cascade Conference win, 70-55 over Bushnell on Saturday afternoon at Lithia Motors Pavilion.
DiGiulio, a senior from Portland, shot 10-of-18 from the field and buried a career-high five 3-pointers on 56 percent shooting from behind the arc. In the second quarter alone, she shot a perfect 4-of-4 from the field with three 3-pointers.
The Beacons jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game. They led by as much as seven with 8:21 remaining in the second half until a layup from Sage Winslow, and a 3-pointer and layup from DiGiulio tied it up at 20-20.
Lydia Traore was a rebound shy of a double-double coming off the bench, going 5-of-8 from the field with 11 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Seven of her rebounds were on the offensive glass.
SOU held a five-point advantage at half and then scored 12 unanswered points out of the break, sparked by consecutive 3-point makes from Alex Bullock, Bridgette McIntyre, and Jenika Zurita. By the end of the third, they climbed to a 54-38 lead, holding Bushnell to just seven points and forcing seven turnovers in the period.
Only one other team in CCC history has won 40 consecutive games. The last time the Raiders lost to a conference opponent was Jan. 12, 2024. They also haven’t dropped a home game since their loss to No. 23 Menlo in the Round of 32 in the 2024 NAIA Tournament, winning 22 consecutive outings at Lithia Motors Pavilion.
McIntyre posted 10 points, four rebounds, and a career-high eight assists. Zurita scored seven off the bench and grabbed six rebounds.
The Raiders (9-3 overall, 4-0 CCC) have won nine of their last 10, while the Beacons dropped to 2-10 and 0-4.
Bushnell’s Ayden Krupke scored a team-high 16 points and Kenzie Pederson had 14.
Southern Oregon starts the new year on the road with another test, facing its second ranked opponent of the year in No. 15 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) on Jan. 2 before playing Walla Walla (Washington).
This story first appeared on the Southern Oregon University Sports Information website, souraiders.com.
