Bethel women's basketball wins fourth straight game after winning a close game against Friends
The Threshers had five players score in double digits in the 73-69 win
The Bethel College women’s basketball team won their fourth game in a row, beating Friends University 73-69 in a game that saw five Threshers score in double figures.
“I was really pleased with the way we got boards in the second half,” said Head Coach Rocky Lamar. “In the first half, they kicked us on the boards, and in the second half, we won the battle. I think that was the difference in the game.”
The Threshers lost the rebounding battle 37-31, but closed the gap considerably in the second half, in which the Threshers outscored the Falcons by six points. Kendall Locke led the team with six rebounds.
A large reason for the Threshers’ win was their defense. Bethel forced 18 turnovers in the game, and scored 21 points off of turnovers.
“In the second half, we came out and knew we wanted the game more than they did,” said sophomore Madyson McKinzie, from Dumas, Ark. “We stayed the course and finished with the win.”
All five starters for the Threshers came out firing for Bethel, with each scoring double figures in the win. Natalie Richards led with 16 points, and McKinzie added 13. Carely Robb scored 11 with 3 3-point field goals, and Caryn Yoder and Kendall Locke rounded out the scoring with 10 apiece.
“It takes the hard work that we know that we've been practicing and doing everything we can to get to this moment,” Lamar said.
The Threshers were able to fight through lopsided free throw attempts as well. Bethel did not have a free throw attempt until the fourth quarter, while Friends had attempted 16 in the first three quarters. Despite this, the Threshers were able to come up with a win against a team who was formerly undefeated in KCAC play.
The Threshers look to repeat their success against Evangel University on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 12 p.m. in their first ever match up against the Valor in Thresher Gym.