Byrd II, Jonas lead the way as Bethel men stun No. 2 Oklahoma Wesleyan in Bartlesville
The victory is the biggest in program history.
BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — On Thursday night, the Bethel men’s basketball team took a trip down to Oklahoma with hopes of upsetting the second-ranked (NAIA) team in the nation in Oklahoma Wesleyan. With a big second-half comeback, the Threshers would do just that, defeating the Eagles on the road for the third consecutive season, 72-61.
“This was definitely a big win for us,” Bethel head coach Jayson Artaz said. “I think as a team we’ve started to gel and everyone has settled into their roles. We’re also playing tougher than we were early in the season.”
The Eagles would start the first half ahead, 4-0, as the Threshers started out slow. Senior Bryant Mocaby would then hit a three to kickstart a 7-6 Bethel run. After that, neither team would lead by more than one possession until right before intermission, when Oklahoma Wesleyan went on a 6-0 run to lead 33-26 at halftime.
Throughout the first half, junior Jalyn Todd was the leading scorer for the Threshers with seven. To kick off the second half with momentum, junior Harper Jonas hit a big three-pointer to cut the Eagle lead to just four points.
“Harper was big for us in the second half,” Artaz said. “We challenged him pretty hard at halftime and he came out and really responded. We don’t win that game without Harper’s play in the second half.”
Oklahoma Wesleyan would hold the lead for the next four minutes of the game until senior Cliff Byrd II fed off Jonas’ barrage with a three of his own to cap off a 7-0 Thresher run that handed them a 36-35 lead. The Eagles would get a one-point lead back until junior Jared Richardson nailed a three from the corner, giving Bethel the two-point lead.
The Threshers would never again trail.
In the second half, Bethel outscored Oklahoma Wesleyan 46-28 as Byrd II and Jonas — who knocked down four threes in the second half — hit big shot after big shot to keep the Eagles away. “It was great for my team and I to hit some big shots to keep our momentum rolling in the second half,” Jonas said.
When the final buzzer sounded, it marked the highest-ranked opponent defeated by the Threshers, thus the biggest win in the program’s history.
“We still have areas to get better in, but we’re moving in the right direction,” Artaz said. “We haven’t really had a signature win to this point, so to get a big road win was awesome. … To go into a hostile environment and have your backs against the wall and still come out with a win is something you never forget.”
Byrd II would lead all scorers with 17 points. Jonas and Mocaby would both end the contest with 13. Byrd II also led in assists with five and steals with three. Todd led in rebounds with seven.
“Beating a great team like OKWU, who we’ve played more than anyone in the KCAC over the course of three years and beating them on their home court gives our team a lot of momentum for the rest of the season,” Jonas said. “We never stepped off the gas pedal Thursday night and that was the expectation of us going into the game.”
The men’s basketball team will be back home to take on Ottawa in Thresher Gym on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m.