Bethany College Athletics Weekly Recap (Nov. 26 - Dec. 3)
Bethany College Athletics Weekly Recap December 3
Zach Pressnell
Women's Basketball: Bethany WBB went 0-2 this week, suffering two PAC losses. Ashleigh Wheeler and Kate Botti earned PAC Weekly Accolades for their play during week three.
Men's Basketball: Bethany MBB topped Washington and Jefferson this week, 89-76, marking the first time they've beat the Presidents since 2018.
Storylines of the Week:
WBB falls to 3-2 in PAC play, MBB gains huge victory over W&J
Bethany Women's Basketball lost the week, falling by double digits twice
So far, the Bethany women's basketball team has impressed nearly every time they've stepped on the court. They have some of the best depth in the entire conference, featuring a rotation of five starters and three to five players off the bench that can bring big contributions to the team. They played aggressive defense with a high-powered offense that typically lights it up from three.
But this week, things didn't align as well for Coach Lopez's team. The 88-59 loss to Chatham was led by over 20 turnovers, less than 40% shooting and a 6-for-21 day from three. A few days later, the Bison would shoot even worse from three and from the field, in their ten-point loss to W&J.
Despite these two losses, there remained some bright spots. Makenzee Mason, who's dealt with a lower leg injury for the entire season, has begun to return to the player she was prior to injuries, scoring at least ten points in the last four games. She's going to be crucial for Bethany as the season goes on, as she gives them a guard with as much experience as anybody in the PAC. The Bison will be off this week, looking to regroup and reload before hosting two PAC games in the next two weeks.
Bethany Men's Basketball earned their most impressive victory of the year, but split the week 1-1
Before the season began, the PAC coaches put together a poll which ranked all the teams in the conference. Bethany finished last in the coaches' poll while Washington and Jefferson would be ranked as the preseason favorites. But the incredible thing about sports is that you need to play the games, no matter how big of an underdog one team may be.
Despite this huge difference in belief among the conference coaches, Bethany would beat W&J this week, grabbing a 13-point victory in Washington, Pa. Bethany didn't just win this game though; they would dominate it. They trailed just one time throughout the entire contest, where they were losing 9-8 in the first half. Bethany would grab the lead, without the services of Chance Wells, and hold that lead for the rest of the game.
Four of the five Bison starters would finish with double digit points, led by Dailey's 20 and Troy Hixson's 19. Will Brooks added eight points and 12 rebounds to help anchor the team. This is easily the biggest win in Coach Brad Johnson's young head coaching career.
This Week's Breakdown
Monday (12/4): No Bison Athletic events.
Tuesday (12/5): No Bison Athletic events.
Wednesday (12/6): No Bison Athletic events.
Thursday (12/7): No Bison Athletic events.
Friday (12/8): No Bison Athletic events.
Saturday (12/9): No Bison Athletic events.
Sunday (12/10): Men's Basketball at Eastern Kentucky (4:00 PM)
