Bethel hoops stays hot in KCAC action with home sweep of Friends
The men win their third straight while the women win their third in the last four.
On Wednesday night, both Bethel basketball teams beat Friends at home. The women’s team came up on top 73-66, while the men won 82-66.
Women use big fourth quarter for fourth KCAC win
In the women’s game, both teams started off slow, but the Threshers (6-11, 4-8) eventually made it to a five-point advantage at the end of the first quarter, 14-9. Freshman Caryn Yoder continued her strong first-year campaign with half of Bethel’s points going into the second quarter.
During the second quarter, both teams scored exactly 14 points, having the Threshers still lead the Falcons by five, 28-23, at the half. In the third quarter, Friends (12-7, 8-5) found its rhythm and outscored Bethel 23-13, bringing them to the lead 46-41.
“Playing at home is always nice, especially when our student sections showed up like they did tonight,” Bethel head coach Derrick Pringle said. “This gives us that extra confidence and boost to play our best. Which we felt had an impact on the game.”
The Threshers kicked it into gear in the final quarter, outscoring the Falcons 32-20, with Yoder scoring 15 points in this quarter, giving Bethel th 73-66 victory.
“The key points (of this game) had to be our defense and us responding in the fourth quarter,” Pringle said. “We headed into the fourth being down five points and thought we responded well and got some key defensive stops.”
Junior Troi Lucas scored 23 points in the contest and Yoder scored a career high 22 points. Sophomore Josie Stupey led the team with six rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
“We really made a point of being more aggressive defensively,” Pringle said. “We felt that we were as aggressive in our first match (against Friends), which really hurt us. Also our team chemistry has come along since our first game. Our players are playing with more confidence and trusting each other.”
The Threshers — who have won three of their last four — will be back in action at Thresher Gym on Saturday evening at 5 p.m. against Kansas Wesleyan.
Men capture third consecutive win
The men’s team started out their game as a battle with Friends (4-15, 3-10), scoring back and forth, and eventually the Falcons came to a five-point lead. It was still a back and forth game until super-senior Bryant Mocaby threw an alley-oop pass to junior Jalyn Todd for the one-handed dunk, bringing the Thresher lead to five.
To close out the first half, Clifford Byrd II sent a lob into the air for freshman Chrisiton Whitaker for yet another dunk. In the second half, Byrd II gave Bethel (10-7, 8-4) their first double-digit lead 59-48.
Throughout the next three minutes, the Threshers went on a 12-3 run, giving them the biggest lead of the night after sophomore Javen Hutton stole the ball from the Falcons and dribbled through an opposing player’s legs, behind his back, and threw a perfect pass to Whitaker for the dunk.
Both coaches then emptied their benches, leading the Threshers to the 82-66 win.
“I think the key in our win was our effort and ability to share the ball,” Bethel head coach Jayson Artaz said. “We really worked hard on guarding and competing every possession which isn't the easiest thing to do as a player, but our guys have really bought into playing hard.
“Another key was our ability to attack the basket while still finding open players. We had a couple nice highlight lobs and dunks that also brought some energy to the gym. Our student section is worth 10 points a game because the Stone Zone is unlike anything else we see in the conference.”
Six Threshers scored in double digits in the win: Byrd II with 16, Mocaby and Harper Jonas each with 11, and Todd, Hutton, and Whitaker each with 10.
Byrd II also led the team in rebounds with six, assists with seven, and steals with four.
“It’s kind of tough beating a team twice so it was a great win,” Byrd II said. “We always stick to a game plan and what Coach Artaz has us doing which helps with playing out best. Getting multiple stops on the defensive end in a row stood out to me because that was our biggest key going into this game and we executed that well.”
Bethel now looks forward to a date at Thresher Gym with Kansas Wesleyan on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The Threshers will be seeking their fourth victory in a row.
“I think we have the best home court advantage in the conference and coupling that with our lobs and dunks while also playing fast is a recipe for a pretty good game,” Artaz said. “We love playing at home and look forward to coming back home again on Saturday against the [17th-ranked] team in the country. I hope the Stone Zone is out in full force and extra rowdy this time.”