Men's Basketball: Bison fall short against Tomcats

Drew VonScio, Student Assistant for Athletic Communications 

BETHANY, W.Va. – The Bethany men's basketball kicked off its stretch of games between the holidays tonight inside Hummel Fieldhouse by hosting Thiel. The Tomcats purred their way victory courtesy of offensive consistency over 40 minutes of play, defeating the Bison 82-70.

Marlon Ellerbee started the scoring for the visitors with a layup 32 seconds into the first half; Quinn Hiles responded with a three to put the Bison in front. That brief lead was just one of two that Bethany had throughout the first half and ultimately the entirety of the matchup. Bethany would end up going ahead by as many as four points when Cole Dailey made one of many layups in the game for the Bison. Thiel took charge afterwards and went on a 10-0 run. The Green and White pulled within three points but then quickly chased the Tomcats for the remainder of the half as the visitors went into the break ahead 40-29.

The first Bison points of the second half came from Quinn Hiles when he converted another three-pointer after the Tomcats tacked on the first four points. Similar to what we have seen all season, Bethany excelled in the second half as they kept it within reach. A Chance Wells free throw cut the deficit down to 10 for the Bison with plenty of time remaining in the second half. The momentum swung back in Thiel's favor when they pulled ahead by as many as 18 points with under eight minutes to play. Despite things looking grim, the Green and White were not ready to call it a night as they went on a 12-4 run to again get within striking distance. Bethany cut the Tomcat lead down to as little as eight points, but Thiel had some late magic to pull away and win by a dozen.

Dailey continues his stellar rookie season in the PAC by producing his second double-double of the season. The freshman from East Liverpool, Ohio was still in Thanksgiving mode as he stuffed home 27 points and gobbled up 13 boards. Hiles tacked on 17 points as he shot 5-for-8 from behind the arc. Sophomore Chance Wells had his first career triple-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Bethany is back in action Saturday afternoon when they make a trip to Pittsburgh to take on Chatham. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.