Bethel men get past Saint Mary in close Saturday contest
The Threshers beat Saint Mary with Jonas leading the way with game-high 18 points.
On Saturday, the Bethel men’s basketball team took on Saint Mary in Thresher Gym. The Threshers had started out conference play 1-2 and needed a win. Bethel found just that picking up the 69-63 win a tightly matched contest.
The start was slow with both teams struggling to find momentum. Bethel only trailed for three minutes in the opening half and went into halftime with a four point lead after Jared Richardson made back-to-back shots to bring them ahead.
“At halftime we felt like we had some chances to put them away early and gave up some easy rebounds which helped them stay in the game,” head coach Jayson Artaz said. “We needed to focus in on our fundamentals and play with better energy on the defensive end.”
The second half was more Thresher offense as the Spires never led the second 20 minutes. Keyaun Hoskin, Harper Jonas and Eli Wiseman combined for 33 points in the second half alone, with Wiseman coming off the bench.
“Being able to come in and be a spark for the team is great for me,” Wiseman from Belle Plaine said. “It makes it easier to play good when you’re playing with unselfish guys who look for me when I’m hot.”
The Threshers picked up their second win in KCAC play with a big performance from multiple players.
Jonas achieved a new game-high this season of 18 points along with two steals and five rebounds in the contest. Hoskin got his second double-double of the season with 15 points and ten rebounds.
Wiseman pulled in 12 points off the bench, including making a three he got fouled on that brought the energy to Thresher Gym and continuing to make himself known as a shooter off the bench. Only 19 points were scored off the bench in the contest for the Threshers.
“Eli gave us a huge spark offensively where we couldn't seem to find consistent scoring,” Artaz said. “It was a definite shot in the arm and that is what we are hoping to see from Eli every time he is on the floor.”
Bethel out-rebounded the Spires 41-36, including 12 offensive boards that led to ten second-chance points. The Threshers also forced Saint Mary to 12 turnovers that resulted in 12 points for Bethel.
From the charity stripe, the Spires struggled making only four of 13 attempts whereas the Threshers made 22 of 28 and shot 78% from the spot.
Bethel will take the trip south on Wednesday when they will take on 20th-ranked Southwestern. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.