Men's Basketball Opens Season with 100-67 Victory over Penn State - DuBois

Nov. 14 – BETHANY, W. Va. – The Bethany College men's basketball team rolled to a 100-67 victory in their season opener against Penn State – DuBois. The Green & White used a solid, all-around effort to earn head coach Nick Hager his first-career victory.

The Bison jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the opening three minutes. A three from Alan Harper (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) and a quick reverse layup from Antonio Rudolph (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) extended the Bison lead to eight. Sophomore forward Javonte' Trujillo (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) then scored five straight to give Bethany a 21-8 lead.

Bethany went on another quick, 10-2, run to take a 21-point lead (31-10) with 11:10 left in the opening half. Trujillo added two more three-pointers during the run as the Bison continued to carve apart the Penn State zone defense. Another three from Trujillo and a layup from Travon Cotton (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage) forced a Nittany Lion timeout at the 8:15 mark with the Bison leading, 36-12.

The Bison continued to work the ball around the find the open man, and the offense was clicking on all cylinders. A put-back dunk from Rudolph and another three from Harper put Bethany up 47-22 with 4:18 remaining.

The Nittany Lions showed some life in the late stages of the half, going on an 8-4 run. Bethany, however, got the momentum back with a long ball from Harper at the buzzer giving the Bison a 56-30 advantage at the intermission.

Trujillo paced the Bethany offense with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the half. Bethany shot 8-of-18 from deep in the opening 20 minutes.

Bethany picked up right where they left off in the second period, getting back-to-back baskets from Cotton and Calique Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy). Rudolph showed his versatility, finding Cotton on a layup and hitting a pull-up jumper with 16:50 left to make it 64-36. Jones knocked down another trey, and a left-handed hook from Liam Davis (Orlando, Fla./Orlando Christian Prep) gave Bethany a 30-point advantage with 14:43 left in the half.

Jerron Athey (Richmond, Va./Banner Christian) picked up five consecutive points, using his speed to go coast-to-coast for a bucket and then drive in for another layup plus the foul. Athey then found Rudolph on the break to take an 82-47 lead with 10:29 to play.

Harper added to his hot start with consecutive baskets, knocking down a jumper and then driving for a layup with 8:00 left.  The senior finished the game with a game-high 17 points, including shooting 3-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Bethany would cruise to the victory, getting contributions from multiple bench players to notch their first 100-point game since Nov. 23, 2013 (102 also against Penn State – DuBois).

The Green & White controlled every facet of the game, shooting 51 percent from the field while holding the Nittany Lions to a 31.3 percent shooting night. Bethany outscored Penn State 27-15 from behind the three-point line as well, and forced 14 turnovers in the process.

Individually, each player that saw time on the floor for Bethany scored at least two points. Five players reached double figures, including Harper's 17. Jones and Trujillo added 16 points, each, while Rudolph and Cotton added 13 and 10 points, respectively.

Rudolph wasted no time in proving his worth on the floor, coming just three assists shy of a triple-double. The junior tallied 13 points while chipping in with 11 rebounds and seven dimes.

The Bison will be back in action on Tuesday, November 17 when they welcome the Pioneers of Marietta College to Hummel Field House. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip.