Bethany Men's Basketball Outlasts Washington & Jefferson
Jan. 16 – WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Bethany College men's basketball team pushed their winning streak to three-straight for the second time this season as the Bison defeated Washington & Jefferson, 71-62, on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, Bethany moved to a season-best five games over .500 (10-5) and improved to 6-2 in conference play.
The Bison struggled slightly on the offensive end in the first half of play, shooting just 37 percent from the field. However, guards Andrew Williams (Oil City, Pa./Oil City) and Calique Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy) kept the Green & White in the game, combining for 17 of the team's 31 points.
Through the first six minutes of the game, the hosts earned their biggest lead, running out to a five-point advantage (12-7) with 14:13 to play in the half.
The Green & White would immediately respond, using a 7-0 run to retake the lead. Nick Metz (Pittsburgh, Pa./OLSH) got the Bison going with a layup, which was followed by a three from Williams. Bethany then received a fast-break score from Jones off of a steal by Darrian Bruster (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic), giving the visitors a 14-12 lead.
Through the rest of the opening half, the two teams traded baskets as the lead changed hands six times. Free throws by the Presidents' Joe Satira knotted the game at 28-28 in the final minute of the half, but a three pointer by Antonio Rudolph (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) with seven seconds to play, gave the Bison a three-point lead at the break.
The first ten minutes of the second half were the same as the first, with the lead not growing any larger than seven points. Tied at 44-44 with just over 11 minutes to go, the Bison would make their largest push of the game.
A 14-1 run by the Green & White in just the span of three minutes, blew the game open in favor of the Bison. Jerron Athey (Richmond, Va./Banner Christian) posted the first four points of the run, and was joined in the swing by four points from Williams.
The 13-point swing was capped by back-to-back steals, and fast break scores from Jones and Rudolph. The latter gave Bethany a 58-45 advantage with eight minutes to play.
Washington & Jefferson would get as close as six points in the late stages of the contest, but solid free throw shooting by the Green & White would seal the game with the Bison earning the nine-point win, 71-62.
After scoring just two points through the first 19:53 of the game, Rudolph helped carry the Bison, scoring 15 points at the end of the first half, through the second stanza. He finished with a game-high 17 points, while adding nine rebounds.
Other scoring leaders for the Bison included Jones and Williams. Jones finished with 15 points while adding a team-high three steals. Williams led all Bethany reserves with 13 points as the Green & White's second unit outscored W&J's 26-5.
As a team, the Bison took care of the rock, turning the ball over just eight times on the night. It marked the second time during this current three-game winning streak that the Bison have had single-digit turnovers.
Bethany will be back in action on Wednesday, January 20, as they finish the first half of their conference schedule against Grove City College. The meeting with the Wolverines is scheduled for an 8 p.m. start.
