NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Bethel Wildcats meet the Pack of Loyola University Saturday afternoon in New Orleans with tip-off slated for 4 p.m. in the Crescent City. The Cats enter the action at 14-11 overall and 7-6 in the SSAC. Loyola is 13-9 and 9-3.
It will be the 10th meeting between the two programs. The Wildcats lead the series 6-3. Bethel is 4-0 in McKenzie. They are 1-3 in New Orleans but won the only meeting in the SSAC Championships in Montgomery. The two teams did not play earlier this season in McKenzie due to snow which moved through the West Tennessee area the day before. It is yet to be determined if that game will be made up.
Isaac Edmondson leads the Cats averaging 20.0 points per game. He is 15th in the nation in scoring. His 1, 270 points ranks 20th on Bethel's all-time scoring list. Earlier in the season he scored 43 points in a game which is the third most in a game in Bethel history. He was named the Southern States Athletic Conference Player of the Week for the second time on the season three weeks ago.
Chase Nappier has 60 steals which is third in the nation. He leads Bethel in three point attempts and made (42). He is second in scoring at 11.6 points per contest.
The Wildcats are No. 2 in offensive rebounds per game at 15.8. They have 265 steals which is 2nd in the nation. They average 10.7 steals per game which is 3rd in the country. The Cats outrebound their opponents 40-32 per game. They are 11th in rebound margin.
The Cats average 82.6 points per game and yield 76.0. They lead the SSAC in points per game. They are 11 -3 when scoring 80 or more points in a game.
Bethel is 12-1 when they lead at the half. The Cats are 12-0 when they outshoot their opponents. Bethel is 9-0 when they make more three's in a game. They are 11-6 when they outrebound their opponent.
Jeff Britt is in his 18th season as head coach of the Wildcats. He is 318-229 and has a 427 -291 career mark.
Stacy Hollowell is currently in his fourth season at the helm of Loyola, coming off of his best year to date in 2016-17. Hollowell guided the Pack to a 22-10 record, the first time Loyola had reached 20 wins since the 2011-12 season and tied for the second-most wins in program history. After reaching the semifinals at the SSAC Championships, the Pack ended a 71-year drought from tournament appearances, after reaching the NAIA National Tournament.
Nick Parker leads the Pack averaging 14.4 points per game. Terry Smith Jr. is second in scoring at 10.9 per game. Tre'Von Jasmine follows with 10.6 points per contest. Loyola is fourth in the nation in field goal defense at 28.6 percent. They average 73.6 points per game and yield 70.8
There will be no local radio but fans can follow the action at:
Live Video
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/loyno/portal.htm?eventId=413630&streamType=video
Live Stats
http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/TeamComparison/TeamComparison.aspx?association=10&sg=WBB&sea=NAIWBB_2017&team=221&compID=210562
