A big night from a senior was not enough to lift The Evergreen State College past Bushnell University on Friday, as the Geoducks fell 104-80 in Cascade Collegiate Conference men’s basketball action at the Morse Center in Eugene, Oregon.
Senior wing Tony Frohlich-Fair scored a season-high 28 points for The Evergreen State College Geoducks, matching his scoring output earlier this season and doing so against his former school. Frohlich-Fair, who transferred to Evergreen from Bushnell University Beacons prior to the season, shot 8-for-13 from the field and went 12-for-15 at the free-throw line. He also led the Geoducks with seven rebounds while adding two assists and two steals.
Despite Frohlich-Fair’s performance, Evergreen could not overcome a dominant opening stretch by Bushnell. The Beacons opened the game on a 17-0 run, fueled by outside shooting from Squeeky Johnson and balanced scoring across the lineup. Evergreen missed its first three shots and committed three early turnovers during the surge. Frohlich-Fair finally got the Geoducks on the board with a layup at the 15:56 mark, but Bushnell continued to build its lead and carried a 55-32 advantage into halftime.
Zack Jefferson added 17 points for Evergreen, shooting 7 for 12 from the floor and knocking down three three-pointers. Tyler No chipped in 14 points, connecting on four of five shots, all from beyond the arc. Senior guard Bradley Graham directed the offense with seven assists and added three rebounds and three steals.
Bushnell countered with three players scoring at least 23 points. Squeeky Johnson led the Beacons with 26 points, including six three-pointers. Kaleb Burnett posted 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Cory Johnson recorded a 23-point, 15-rebound double-double with six assists.
Evergreen showed resilience in the second half. After Bushnell pushed its lead to 70-43, the Geoducks responded with a 16-3 run highlighted by perimeter shooting from No, Jefferson and Kohrey Bridges, trimming the deficit to 73-59. Jefferson later scored on a layup to pull Evergreen within 82-70 with just over seven minutes remaining. Bushnell, however, closed the game on a 22-10 run to secure the win.
Evergreen shot efficiently, finishing at 46.7 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three-point range, and connected on 58.1 percent of its shots in the second half. Bushnell shot 54.7 percent overall and 46.4 percent from beyond the arc.
The loss dropped Evergreen to 0-7 overall and 0-5 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The Geoducks continue conference play on the road Saturday, Feb. 3, with a 5 p.m. matchup against Corban University in Salem, Oregon.
