Feb 21, 2012
The Bethany College women's basketball team shot 46 percent in the second half and outscored visiting Westminster by 15 after halftime to pull away for a 71-52 victory over Westminster in a PAC Tournament Quarterfinal Tuesday night.
The Bison improved to 16-10 overall and advance to the PAC semifinals. Top-seed Thomas More will host the semifinals and championship this weekend. The Saints will take on the Bison in the second semifinal Friday night at 8 p.m., with #2 Saint Vincent and #3 Waynesburg going in the opening game Friday at 6 p.m.
The first half saw four ties and four lead changes and the fifth-seeded Titans (9-16) led 26-24 with 3:35 left in the opening stanza. The Bison closed the first half with a 7-1 surge to take a 31-27 lead. Senior Renee Shepherd hit two free throws and converted a three-point play to highlight the run.
Bethany opened the second half with nine straight points to quickly take their lead to 40-27. Towards the middle portion of the second half, an 11-0 spurt, fueled by six points from senior forward Katelynn Hackathorn ballooned the BC margin to 57-35 and Bethany would coast to the win that advanced the Green and White to the PAC semifinals for the first time since 2008-09. It was also the 16th win of the season, which is the most by the program in eight years.
Senior Anne Wilson led all scorers in the game with 18 points, with a dozen coming after halftime. Hackathorn posted a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds and junior Kayla Taormina tallied 11.
For Westminster, Katie Hughes scored 11 and Gabby Holko chipped in 10.
The Bison face a daunting task in Friday's semifinal. Thomas More (22-4) has won five consecutive PAC championships and have a 12-1 record at home this season. The Saints swept Bethany in their meetings this season by scores of 83-64 at BC and 85-52 at home.