Men's basketball picks up win over Franciscan, 79-63

Men's basketball picks up win over Franciscan, 79-63

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

BETHANY, W.Va. (Dec. 5) – A big second half from senior guard Antonio Rudolph (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) propelled the Bison past Franciscan 79-63 in non-conference play Monday night.

The Bethany College men's basketball team improves to 5-2 overall, while the Barons fall to 0-8 on the season.

Rudolph scored 14 of his team-high 18 points in the second half and finished the evening 6-for-10 from the field. Freshman forward Chaice Truex (Wheeling, W.Va./St. John Central) matched Rudolph with 18 points and narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Senior guard Calique Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy) chipped in 14 points, junior forward Chris Harris (Brecksville, Ohio/Broadview Heights) added eight points and eight boards, while senior forward Javonte' Trujillo (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) finished with seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds in the win.

After exchanging baskets for most of the opening minutes of the game, the Bison pushed ahead with a 14-4 run that gave them an 18-11 lead with 12:29 left in the opening half. After a layup by Trujillo pushed the Bethany lead to 26-18 at the five-minute mark, Franciscan rallied back. The Barons closed the half on a 12-4 run to send the game into halftime tied at 30-30.

A back-and-forth opening nine minutes to the second half saw Franciscan take a 53-51 lead with 11:09 remaining in the game. Bethany assumed control of the contest over the next five minutes. The Bison went on a 16-3 run to take a 67-56 advantage with just under six minutes left in the game.

The Bison never allowed the Barons to come within single-digits and outscored Franciscan down the stretch 12-7 to earn their fifth win of the season.

The Green & White were frequent visitors to the charity stripe. Bethany finished the game 22-for-29 (76 percent) from the foul line, compared to the 14-for-23 (61 percent) posted by the Barons.

After shooting 37 percent (11-for-29) in the first half, the Bison shot 50 percent (15-for-30) in the second half to finish at a 44 percent clip for the game (26-for-59). Bethany held a 49-to-30 advantage on the glass, including 13 offensive rebounds.

Franciscan's Juwan Perkins led the Barons with 17 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

The Bison head back into Presidents' Athletic Conference play this Saturday, November 10 when they head to Crestview Hills, Kentucky to take on preseason league-favorite Thomas More at 3 p.m.