5:30 p.m. Friday – Bushnell (4-4, 2-1) at SOU (10-1, 3-0)
3 p.m. Saturday – Corban (1-9, 0-3) at SOU (10-1, 3-0)
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ASHLAND – A double-digit winning streak is within reach for the Southern Oregon University women's basketball team as it prepares to jump back into the Cascade Conference schedule this weekend at Lithia Motors Pavilion.

The Raiders (10-1 overall, 3-0 CCC), winners of eight straight, host preseason favorite Bushnell (4-4, 2-1) at 5:30 p.m. Friday and struggling Corban (1-9, 0-3) at 3 p.m. Saturday. The games will be the fourth and fifth consecutive they'll play at home to start CCC play, and the last before they break for the holidays.

FAN POLICY: All fans 12 and older planning to attend are subject to SOU's vaccination policy, which requires proof of full vaccination against Covid-19 or a negative test taken no more than 48 hours prior to entry. Photo ID must be presented for verification. Per state mandate, non-participants will also be required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status.

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW: CCC play paused for finals week, but the Raiders stayed sharp last Sunday in an 88-52 win at Cal Maritime that they earned without starters Syd'Nee Fryer and Kenadee Honaker. Dominique Harding and Kami Walk stepped up in their absence with 21 points apiece; Walk shot 7-of-11 and had 12 rebounds for her third straight double-double, and Harding notched a season-high on 8-of-15 shooting with three 3-pointers. SOU outscored the Keelhaulers 56-23 in the second half and forced 29 turnovers.

NAIA TOP 25: SOU received votes again in the latest NAIA Top 25 coaches' poll that was released Wednesday and was No. 38 overall in voter points. Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) is No. 27 overall and the only other CCC team receiving votes. Bushnell is the only CCC team that has been ranked this year, having opened at No. 22 in the preseason, but dropped out after starting 0-3 with two losses against current top-five teams.

BRIEFLY:

• Don't be alarmed if the Raiders get off to a slow start offensively; if recent history is an indication, it'll work out just fine. In their first three CCC wins the Raiders shot 18 percent (9-of-50) combined in the first quarters and 45 percent the rest of the way. The trend extends to their nonleague affairs (though not quite as dramatically): they're shooting 32 percent in the first quarter and 43 percent in the final three on the season. They've been especially effective out of halftime, outscoring their opponents 221-131 in the third quarter – or by an average of 8.2 points per frame.
• Defensively, the Raiders keep climbing the NAIA leaderboard: they're No. 5 in points allowed per game (51.6), No. 11 in turnovers forced per game (23.5) and No. 15 in steals per game (13.0). Five straight opponents have failed to shoot higher than 38 percent against them, the team's longest such stretch in five years.
• SOU is 5-0 at home and, dating back to 2019-20, has won 10 of its last 11 at Lithia Motors Pavilion.
• Kami Walk – who is up to six double-doubles – ranks third in the CCC in both points (17.4) and rebounds (9.5) per game; no other player is among the top-five in both categories. Walk is also ninth in blocked shots (1.0) and 10th in field-goal percentage (50.0). The sophomore is averaging 10 more points and 4.2 more rebounds than she did as a freshman.
• The Raiders have three players among the CCC's top-13 in both steals – Danasia Allison (2.6), Fryer (2.0) and Honaker (1.8) – and blocked shots – Walk (1.0), Clara Robbins (1.0) and Mia Wilmot (0.9).
• Two wins this weekend would give the Raiders their first 10-game streak since the 2017-18 season, when they won 13 straight. The team-record streak, established in 2016-17, is 21 games. Two current Raiders, Fryer and Honaker, contributed to it.

ABOUT BUSHNELL: The Beacons won the CCC title in 2019-20 and the CCC spring league earlier this year, and their .500 record is deceiving. Their only bad loss was their last one, a 23-point beatdown at Warner Pacific, and they did that without all-star guard Aspen Slifka. Slifka (18.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 53% FG), the 2019-20 CCC Freshman of the Year, and Morgan McKinney (12.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 50% FG), the 2019-20 CCC Player of the Year, helped the Beacons top SOU for the last CCC Tournament title. They've lost 11 straight against the Raiders in Ashland.  

ABOUT CORBAN: The Warriors have hit turbulence during an active eight-game losing streak in which their losses have been decided by an average of 18 points. Guard Gemma LaVergne has been an exception to their offensive struggles at 15.9 points per game and Holly Golenor is adding 13.1. Outside of those two, the rest of the team is shooting 31 percent. They've won three of their last four regular-season meetings with SOU.