Jonas and Yakubu lead men's basketball to road win over Evangel
Harper Jonas shoots for 22 points and Carmelo Yakubu shot for 20, earning his 1,000th career point in Bethel's win over Evangel
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— The Bethel College men's basketball team secured a hard-fought 73-70 victory over Evangel on Saturday afternoon at AGFinancial Arena in Springfield, Mo. With the win, the Threshers improved to 15-7 overall and 11-5 in KCAC play and currently sit at fourth in the KCAC standings.
Harper Jonas, a senior from Andover, was the standout performer of the night, leading Bethel with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including six three-pointers. His ability to connect from deep proved to be a crucial factor in the Threshers’ success. Carmelo Yakubu, a junior from Houston, added 20 points and four rebounds, while Cade Kittrell, a sophomore from Round Rock, Texas, dominated the glass with 12 rebounds to go along with four points.
Head coach Jayson Artaz praised Jonas' performance, highlighting his ability to step up when the team needed him most.
“Harper Jonas was our Man of the Match against Evangel. He went 6-12 from three and was about the only person who could hit a jump shot,” Artaz said.
“It feels great, and it’s an honor to be named Man of the Match by Coach Artaz,” Jonas said. “Our motivation prior to the Evangel game, and every game from now on, is to secure a home playoff game. Each win is used as a stepping stone to get us playing in front of the Stone Zone once playoff time rolls around. This team’s energy, chemistry, and joy is what keeps us rolling.”
The game was a battle from the start, with both teams trading buckets throughout the first half. Bethel and Evangel entered halftime deadlocked at 36-36 after a competitive opening 20 minutes. Jonas and Yakubu sparked the Threshers early in the second half, helping them build a slight advantage. Bethel's defense tightened up down the stretch, forcing key misses and limiting Evangel's three-point shooting to just 18.2% in the second half.
Despite Evangel making a late push, Yakubu sealed the game with two clutch free throws in the final seconds, securing the three-point edge.
“Carmelo also went for 20 and helped to seal the game. He also scored his 1,000th career point, which was cool." Artaz added, "We’ve been playing really well right now, so we really need to continue to play how we’ve played and keep improving on some little details. Rebounding has been a struggle for us the last couple of games, so we definitely need to clean that up.”
Bethel will return home on Wednesday, Feb. 5th, for a key matchup against Sterling in Thresher Gym. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. as the Threshers look to keep climbing in the KCAC standings.