MCKENZIE, Tenn. – The Bethel Wildcats bounced back from a heartbreaking Saturday loss to Cumberland University with a 103-82 win over the Brescia Bearcats Tuesday night in Crisp Arena in McKenzie. It was Bethel's 101st game all-time in Crisp Arena.
Bethel moved to 4-2 on the season while the Bearcats fell to 3-5 on the year.
It was the eighth meeting between the two programs with Bethel now holding an 8-0 lead in the series. Bethel is 3-0 in McKenzie and 5-0 in Owensboro. The Wildcats are 76-25 all-time in Crisp Arena.
The Wildcats never trailed in the game and led 46-32 at the half. Their biggest lead came at the 15:24 mark of the second half when they led by 23.
The Cats shot 53 percent from the floor hitting 43-of-80 attempts. Brescia shot 51 percent connecting on 29-of-56 percent. The Wildcats entered the game with the nation's sixth best rebound margin at 17 per game. They had a 44-28 rebound margin in the game. The Wildcats had a 55-35 advantage in points in the paint at 55-35. The Bethel bench outscored the visitors from Owensboro 51-23.
Bethel placed five players in double figures with Noah Chatman leading the attack with 16 points and nine rebounds. Chase Nappier had 14, Jarred Walker scored 13 and Isaac Edmondson followed with 11. Foday Sankarary contributed with 10 points. Kayode Daboiku led the Bearcats with a game high 22 points.
Coach Jeff Britt was pleased with the win. "This is a nice win for us. Brescia really works hard and has a nice team. They will win a lot of games and they have a chance to be a good team in their league. We had good balance and once we settled into a good flow I thought we competed really well. Our bench was a nice factor in the game and we need that once we enter league action. I like our chemistry and effort right now."
The Wildcats are back in action November 29 when they open SSAC play at Faulkner University.
