Bethany Men's Basketball Outduels Saint Vincent

Jan. 24 – BETHANY, W. Va. – The Bethany College men's basketball team used a solid shooting performance to outduel Presidents' Athletic Conference leading Saint Vincent College, 81-76, on Sunday afternoon. The Bison shot just over 50% from the floor, including 9-of-17 from beyond the three-point arc to earn the win.

The Green & White opened the first half on a mission, outscoring the Bearcats 28-10 over the first 12 minutes. Alan Harper (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) got the Bison going from the word go, knocking down his first three-point attempt of the half. He finished the opening stanza with 14 points.

Not only did the Bison shoot well through the first 12 minutes of the matchup, but they also held Saint Vincent to just two made field goals. The Bearcats did not hit their first shot until the 14:20 mark of the half, and converted on just two layups.

Offensively in the run, six different players contributed to the cause, including seven points by both Calique Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy) and Andrew Williams (Oil City, Pa./Oil City). Harper tallied six points while Chris Harris (Brecksville, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) chipped in with four. The final bucket of the run was a layup by Williams, which put the Bison in front 28-10 with 8:24 to play.

Saint Vincent would eventually get find their touch from the field, breaking out with an 18-5 run over the next five minutes. The Bearcat bench would get the visitors going as Ben Klimchock and Bobby Swartwout combined for 10 of the team's 18 points in the run.

The final basket of the run was a three by JC Howard, cutting the Bethany advantage to just five points (33-28) with 3:53 remaining.

The rest of the half belonged to the Green & White, who outscored Saint Vincent 11-3 in the final portion of the opening stanza. The Bison used three-consecutive three-point baskets to embark on an 11-0 run. Following a layup by Harper, Javonte' Trujillo (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) and Darrian Bruster (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) canned back-to-back triples. Harper then knocked down one of his own, putting the Bison up 16 (44-28) with just over one minute to go.

Saint Vincent would notch the last three points of the half and the Bison would go into the locker room with a 13-point advantage, 44-31.

Defensively, the Bison gave the Bearcats fits in the first half, holding one of the leagues' top shooting teams to just 30 percent from the floor. Bethany held Saint Vincent to 8-of-26 from the field, while shooting 56.7 percent.

Saint Vincent would come out of the locker room strong in the second half, and pull the game close for the first time since early in the contest.

The Bison's biggest lead of the second stanza came on a steal and fast-break dunk by sophomore Nick Metz (Pittsburgh, Pa./OLSH). The break-a-way score put the Green & White up 58-44 with 15:04 to play in the game.

The Bearcats responded from there, using an 11-1 run, including five points from Klimchock, to pull the game within four points (59-55) with 11:24 to play.

The score would continue to stay close, with the Bison keeping the Bearcats at bay, until back-to-back baskets by Austin Dedert and Pat Jones gave Saint Vincent their first lead of the game, 69-67, with 4:18 left.

Bethany would be undeterred, however, getting baskets from Rudolph and Jones to retake the lead, 71-69, at the 3:24 mark.

After a Saint Vincent basket by Jaylon Bell knotted the game at 71-71, sophomore Jerron Athey (Richmond, Va./Banner Christian) gave the Bison the lead for good, hitting a runner in the paint to put the hosts up 73-71.

Bethany would convert on seven-of-nine free throws down the stretch, and would keep the Bearcats at bay in the waning seconds, en route to earning the 81-76 victory.

The win marked the sixth win in the last eight games for the Green & White, who kept pace for second place with Grove City and Thomas More in the PAC standings.

As a team, the Bison finished the day 30-of-59 from the field, while shooting over 50% from three-point range. Jones led the Bethany attacked with a team-high 19 points. Harper added 17, including 14 in the first half, while Rudolph also finished with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists.

The Green & White will be back in action on Wednesday, January 27, as they travel to Beaver Falls, Pa. to take on Geneva College. The matchup with the Golden Tornadoes is scheduled for an 8 p.m. start.