Bison Men's Basketball Grabs Fifth-Straight Conference Victory

Jan. 28 – BETHANY, W. Va. – Behind a huge, 52-point first half, the Bethany College men's basketball team posted their fifth-straight victory, defeating Geneva College, 85-68, on Wednesday evening. Delonte' Joyce (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis) was up to his old tricks again, finishing the contest with a game-high 30 points.

Bethany came racing out of the gate as they hit their first four three-point baskets en route to a 20-2 run over the first six minutes of the contest. Freshman Calique Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy) hit the first basket of the night and was followed by threes from both Darrian Bruster (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) and Alan Harper (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic). Antonio Rudolph (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) then joined in the fun before Joyce added a pair of free throws to balloon the lead to 12-2.

After Harper forced a Geneva timeout with another big three, Jones converted his second basket of the run. Not to be outdone, however, Joyce capped off the run by converting on his first three-point shot of the night, giving the Green & White a 20-2 advantage with 14:18 to play in the opening half.

Bethany would eventually grow the lead to 22 points in the half, and the Bison took a 52-30 lead into the halftime break.

The 22-point halftime advantage for the Bison was thanks in large part to a solid defensive effort. Bethany forced Geneva into 11 first-half turnovers while holding the Golden Tornadoes to just 34 percent shooting from the field.

In the second stanza, Geneva would begin to peck at the Bison lead, eventually threatening to get the Bethany advantage back to single digits following a pair of free throws by Ethan Adamczyk, which helped pull Geneva to 76-66 with 2:41 to play.

Just nine seconds later, Bruster would put the nail in the coffin. Feeling a full court press, Jones looked up the floor and found the Bruster. The pass was on the money and Bruster went up for the two-handed slam over two Golden Tornado defenders.

The rim rocker by Bruster gave the Bison the new life they needed, and Bethany coasted away with the 17-point win, 85-68. The victory marked the fifth in a row for the Bison, the longest active streak in the PAC.

Offensively, Joyce once again led the way for the Green & White, totaling 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting. He also added eight rebounds, three steals and three assists. Joyce has scored at least 30 points in three of his last five contests, and has dropped under double figures just once since December 16. Over his last five contests, Joyce is averaging 26.8 points, 5 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game, all while shooting a blazing 50 percent (17-of-34) from long distance.

Not only did Joyce have a solid game for Bethany, but five different players finished in double figures for the Bison. Harper finished the contest with 14 points while Jones and Jeff Joynes (Baltimore, Md./Poly) added 12 and Bruster, 10. Jones also added a career-high six assists to his totals.

The Bison will continue their home stand on Saturday, January 31, when they play host to the Tomcats of Thiel College. The matchup is scheduled to follow the women's game which tips at 2 p.m.