Men's Basketball Secures Third Seed in PAC Tournament with Senior Day Win Over W&J
Feb. 20 – BETHANY, W. Va. – Antonio Rudolph (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) and Javonte' Trujillo (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) led four in double figures, as the Bethany men's basketball earned an 88-69 win over Washington & Jefferson on Saturday.
With the victory over the W&J, the Bison secured the third seed in the upcoming Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, finishing the regular season with a 12-6 mark in conference play.
The Green & White never trailed in the game against the Presidents, opening a double-digit advantage in the first 10 minutes of the game. Playing in his final regular-season game at the Hummel Field House, senior Alan Harper (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) got the Bison going with the team's first five points.
Bethany's 21-8, game-opening run was also fueled by Liam Davis (Orlando, Fla./Orlando Christian Prep) and Andrew Williams (Oil City, Pa./Oil City), who each posted six points. Williams knocked down a pair of triples, while a Davis dunk at the 10:08 mark gave the Bison a 13-point lead.
The Presidents would respond in the half, cutting the Bethany lead down to five points (30-25) with 4:15 to play. However, a mini-run, capped by a Trujillo three, pushed the lead to 10 points (41-31) at the break.
The first half saw a balanced scoring attack as eight different players found the stat sheet for the Green & White. Davis led the way in the opening 20 minutes, posting eight points off the bench.
The second half of the game was more of the same from the Green & White, outscoring W&J 47-38 to finish the contest with the 19-point victory.
The advantage never dropped below double figures in the second stanza as the Green & White shot 16-28 (.571) in the closing frame.
Bethany found themselves up just 12 with eight minutes to play, before a 14-3 run put the game officially out of reach. Trujillo added five points to the run, which was capped by a Harper jumper, giving the Bison a 25-point lead (82-57) with three minutes left. From there, the Green & White would coast to the 19-point victory.
In the win, the Bison produced at a high level on the offensive end of the floor, shooing just over 53 percent from the field. Four players finished in double figures including 17 each by Rudolph and Trujillo. Trujillo also added seven rebounds and two steals, while Rudolph chipped in with eight boards and four assists.
Other players in double figures for the Green & White included Calique Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy) and Davis. Jones totaled 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while Davis added 10 points, five rebounds and a team-high four steals.
Before the game, three Bison seniors playing in their final regular-season home game were honored. Harper finished with seven points and two rebounds, while Darrian Bruster (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) added seven points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Yuki Yashiro (Chiba, Japan) also earned the start on senior day, finishing with four rebounds and an assist in 10 minutes of action.
With the victory, the Bison finish the regular season at 16-9, earning the third seed in the upcoming PAC Championship Tournament. Bethany will open the tournament on Tuesday against sixth-seeded Thiel College. The tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Bethany's Hummel Field House.