Strong Second Half Lifts Bison Men's Basketball Over Waynesburg

Jan. 9 – BETHANY, W. Va. – Led by a strong offensive output from senior Alan Harper and sophomore Calique Jones, the Bethany College men's basketball team used a strong second-half surge to upend Presidents' Athletic Conference foe, Waynesburg University, 84-73 on Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets (2-11, 2-4 PAC) struck the first blow in the opening half, holding the Bison to just eight points over the first ten minutes of the game. A 15-6 run spanning that same stretch saw the visitors take a seven-point lead with 10:49 to go in the first stanza.

Still down seven with 8:01 left, the Bison would make their first push of the matchup, using a 13-4 run to take their second lead of the game, 26-24, with 4:18 to play. Five different Bethany players scored in the run, including three-pointers by Antonio Rudolph (New Castle, Pa./New Castle), Harper (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) and Javonte' Trujillo (Aurora, Colo./Grandview).

It was Harper's first three of the game that gave Bethany the two-point advantage. Two minutes later, sophomore Zach Nahra (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) would knock down a triple of his own, the fifth different Bison to do so in the half, pushing the Green & White's lead to 35-30.

Waynesburg would use a mini-run over the final minute, outscoring Bethany 7-4 to pull the game within just one basket, 39-37, at the half.

Harper would open the second half on fire from the field, scoring eight points over the first four minutes of the frame. Harper knocked down a jumper and a pair of threes to go along with a basket from both Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy) and Trujillo, pushing the Bison lead back out to five (51-46) with just over 16 minutes remaining in the contest.

The turning point of the game arguably came from Bethany's Nick Metz (Pittsburgh, Pa./OLSH), who jumped into a Yellow Jacket passing lane for a steal and breakaway dunk with 12:46 remaining. The Bison never again trailed after that basket.

Up just two (61-59) in the mid stages of the half, the Bison would use a quick, 8-0, run to put some distance between them and the visitors. Rudolph slashed to hoop for a quick two, before Jones added back-to-back buckets to give Bethany a ten-point advantage (69-59) with 6:29 to play.

Following a Yellow Jacket basket, Harper would embark on a 5-0 run of his own, which included his fourth triple of the day, extended the Bison lead to its largest of the day at 13 points (74-61).

Bethany would not make a basket from the field over the final five minutes of the game. However, solid defense, including key blocks from Harper and Metz, as well as clutch free-throw shooting, kept the Green & White comfortably in the lead. The Bison knocked down 10 of their final 12 shots at the line, coasting to the 84-73 win.

The Green & White found their offensive stride in the second half, with Jones and Harper leading the charge. The duo combined for 25 of the team's 45 points. Harper tallied 13 in the frame, while Jones added 12 points, three assists and two steals.

Individually, Harper led the way for the Bison throughout the game, shooting 8-of-13 from the field, including four-of-nine from behind the three-point arc. He tallied 22 points in his first start of the season, coming just three points shy of his career high.

Jones played efficiently in the game, scoring 19 points while adding four assists while not turning the ball over.

Other offensive leaders for the Bison included Rudolph and Nahra. Rudolph finished the game with 12 points and seven boards, while Nahra added a career-high 12, posting the first double-digit performance of his career.

As a team, Bethany shot well from the floor, converting on 50 percent of their attempts during the game. Defensively, they were just as impressive, holding the Yellow Jackets to 38 percent shooting in the second half and 20 percent (3-of-15) from deep in the game.

Bethany, which has now won three of its last four outings, will return to action on Wednesday, January 13 as they play host to Westminster College. The matchup with the Titans is scheduled to follow the women's game, which is slated for a 6 p.m. tip.