Bethany Men's Basketball Rolls Past Westminster
Jan. 13 – BETHANY, W. Va. – Behind a strong defensive effort and four players in double figures, the Bethany College men's basketball team used a 41-point second-half to take down the Titans of Westminster College on Wednesday evening in Bethany. The triumph marked the 17th-straight victory over Westminster, dating back to the 2008-09 season.
The Bison started the first half strong, running out to a 14-6 advantage over the opening five minutes. After quickly falling behind 6-2, the Green & White countered with a 12-0 run. Senior Alan Harper (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) contributed five points during the run as he and Javonte' Trujillo (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) connected on back-to-back triples.
Junior Antonio Rudolph (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) capped the run with a steal and a breakaway, two-handed dunk, putting the Bison up 14-6 with 15:17 left in the opening half.
Bethany would go up by as many as nine (21-12) on a jumper by Zach Nahra (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) with 11:11 to play in the frame. However, Westminster would counter with an 11-5 run, cutting the Bison lead to three (26-23) on free throws from senior Paul Carswell with 4:46 remaining.
The Green & White went cold from the floor in the late stages of the half, going without a bucket for over five minutes, until a three-pointer by Andrew Williams (Oil City, Pa./Oil City) extended the lead to five (31-26) with just under three minutes to play. The game would go into the half with the hosts leading by the same score.
The beginning of the second half continued to appear as though the game would go down to the wire, with the two sides trading buckets. Bethany still clung to a two-point advantage with 15:35 to play (43-41) after a layup by Westminster's Deontay Scott.
Perhaps the play of the night came in the biggest momentum swing of the game. Following a missed shot by the Titans, Rudolph took the rebound and charged down the floor, passing the ball off the backboard for an alley-oop slam by Trujillo, giving the Bison a six-point advantage (47-41) with 14:43 to play.
That play proved to be the catalyst for the momentum shift as the Bison went on to outscore Westminster 20-6 over a five minute stretch. Sophomore Chris Harris (Brecksville, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) added his own stamp to the run, scoring the final six points in a row and extending the advantage to 63-47.
The Bethany lead would grow to as many as 17 points on Harper's fourth three-point basket of the game. The bucket gave the Green & White a 70-53 lead with just over five minutes to play, and the Bison would coast for the 13-point win (77-64).
Harper has upped his game since entering the starting lineup. In his last two outings, the three-point marksman has averaged 20 points per game while knocking down four shots from long distance in each.
Tonight, Harper finished the game shooting 6-of-12, including four-of-eight from deep, en route to a game-high 18 points. He also added a rebound and a pair of blocked shots.
A total of four players finished in double figures, including 12 points from Williams, and 10 each from Trujillo and Calique Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy). Rudolph and Harris each added eight to the cause, while Nahra finished with seven off the bench.
The best defensive team in the PAC against the three-pointer, the Bison once again showed their ability to defend on the perimeter, limiting Westminster to 18 percent shooting from deep in the second half. Bethany held the Titans, the second-best scoring team in the conference, 11 points under their season average, while forcing them to shoot under 40 percent from the field for the game.
The win over Westminster marked the 17th-straight victory over the Titans for the program, dating back to the 2008-09 season. It also marked the 11th-consecutive home victory in the series as the Bison have not lost to the Titans in the Hummel Field House since January 20 of 2007.
The Green & White, which have now won seven of their last nine games, will be back in action on Saturday, January 16, as they travel to Washington, Pa. to take on Washington & Jefferson College. The matchup with the Presidents is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start.
