Bison defeated by Westminster, 83-58

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

BETHANY, W.Va. (Dec. 19) – The Bison were dealt an 83-58 loss by Westminster in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) meeting Monday night at the Hummel Fieldhouse.

The Bethany College men's basketball team drops to 5-4 overall, 1-3 in league play. Meanwhile, the Titans improve to 3-1 in the PAC, 6-3 overall this season.

Freshman forward Chaice Truex (Wheeling, W.Va./St. John's Central) led the Green & White offensively with 16 points and matched a team-best six rebounds in the loss. Junior guard Andrew Williams (Oil City, Pa./Oil City) finished with 13 points, while classmate Calique Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy) tallied 12 points and a team-high four assists.

Bethany opened with an 11-2 run over the first six minutes of the game, capped off by a layup by junior guard Zach Nahra (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield).

The Bison maintained the lead and held a 20-12 advantage following a Jones layup with 9:29 remaining in the first half, but the momentum in the game changed hands from that point. The Titans closed out the final nine minutes of the first half on a 25-4 run to take a 37-24 lead into the break. Bethany was held to 1-for-8 from the field during the run and committed five turnovers.

A three-pointer by Westminster pushed the Titan lead to 48-26 with 17:37 left in the game. Bethany tried to mount a comeback with a 19-8 run over the next five minutes, slashing the lead to 56-45 with 11:46 remaining in the contest. Westminster answered with 14-straight points over the next six minutes to push its lead to 69-45 with 7:31 on the clock, putting the game out of reach.

Bethany finished the game 19-for-52 (37 percent) from the field, including a 2-for-15 (13 percent) showing from beyond-the-arc. Westminster ended the evening 29-for-63 (46 percent), and drained 10-for-24 (42 percent) from long range.

Westminster held a 46-to-25 advantage on the glass, including 19 offensive rebounds.

The Titans were led by forward Jarret Vrabel, who finished with game-highs of 20 points and nine rebounds.

The Bison will take the next week off, before returning to action on Thursday, December 29 when they head to Cleveland, Ohio to play in the Case Western Reserve Bill Sudeck Holiday Tournament. Bethany will open with the host Spartans at 7 p.m.