Bison Men’s Basketball Falls to Saint Vincent

Dec. 2 – LATROBE, Pa. – The Bethany College men's basketball team fell, 73-61, to Saint Vincent in their Presidents' Athletic Conference opener on Wednesday night.

The Bison (2-3) scored the first points in the contest off a layup from Calique Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy). 

The Bearcats (3-1) responded with a quick 6-0 run, taking a four-point advantage. The two teams exchanged baskets for the remainder of the half with St. Vincent narrowly hanging on to a slight lead.

An offensive rebound and putback from Antonio Rudolph (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) with two seconds left cut the Bearcat lead to three (32-29) at the break.

St. Vincent extended their lead to as much as 12 in the second period, but the Bison continued to hang around.

With 2:28 remaining, Bethany used a 5-0 run to make it a 64-59 contest as Javonte Trujillo (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) converted on a three-point play and Jones added another layup.

The Bearcats used some clutch free throw shooting late in the game to preserve the win, 73-61. St. Vincent finished 19-of-30 from the stripe, including 15-of-24 in the second half.

Offensively, the Bison were led by Rudolph and Jones. Rudolph put up 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and a team-high three assists, while Jones added 13 points and four rebounds.

Trujillo finished with six points and four boards, and Travon Cotton (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage) tallied six points with five rebounds. Off the bench, Jerron Athey (Richmond, Va./Banner Christian) and Chris Harris (Brecksville, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) totaled six points, each.

Defensively, the Bison forced 12 turnovers and were led by Cotton with two blocks.

Bethany College will return to action on Saturday, December 5 as they welcome Thiel College for a 4 p.m. start.