Bethany Women's Basketball Locks Down Westminster

Jan. 13 – BETHANY, W. Va. – The Bethany College women's basketball team cruised to a 76-52 win over Westminster College in Presidents' Athletic Conference play. The Bison used a balanced scoring attack and an aggressive defense to wear down the Titans.

Westminster (1-13, 1-6 PAC) jumped out to a 10-6 advantage in the opening five minutes of the contest.

The two teams exchanged baskets for the remainder of the quarter as Bethany trailed, 16-15, at the end of the first.

The Bison (6-8, 4-3 PAC) retook the lead with 8:15 left in the second quarter as junior Hayley Holenka (Shadyside, Ohio/Shadyside) drilled consecutive triples to make it 23-21.

A three from Mikyla Tipton (Wellsville, Ohio/Wellsville) and two free throws from Sami Schott (Caldwell, Ohio/Shenandoah) gave Bethany a four-point advantage (28-24) at the 6:42 mark. Scott finished the half with 12 points, going 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.

Bethany's full-court press continued to wear down the Titan offense in the second period. Bethany increased its' lead to double-digits as it forced 14 turnovers in the half, scoring 19 points off turnovers. Bethany took a 42-28 lead into the intermission.

The third quarter saw the Bison continue to control the flow of the game with their press. The Titans, however, scored eight points in the paint to stay within reach before a 6-0 run to end the quarter gave Bethany a 19-point lead (62-43).

Bethany held Westminster to 25% (5-of-20) shooting from the field during the second half, never leading by less than 17 in the fourth quarter.

The Bison defense refused to let up, forcing 12 more turnovers in the second half, including three steals from Holenka. By the end of the game, the Green & White totaled 35 points off turnovers and registered 14 steals.

Offensively, 12 different Bison scored in the contest. Holenka led Bethany with 15 points, Schott tallied 14 to go along with seven rebounds, Tipton added 12, and freshman Ashley Duthie (Madison, Ohio/Madison) scored 11 points.

Duthie was able to run the Bison offense effectively, recording five assists and adding five boards. Tipton collected five assists as well.

On the defensive end, Holenka finished with a team-high five steals, while Alexis Naples (Salem, Ohio/South Range), Tipton, and Duthie recorded two steals, each.

Bethany women's hoops will return to action on Saturday, January 16 as they travel to Washington, Pa. to take on Washington & Jefferson at 1:00 p.m.