MCKENZIE, Tenn. – After two straight wins the Bethel Wildcats looked to make it three in a row hosting No 7 Shawnee State Thursday night in Crisp Arena but it wasn't to be as the Bears upended the Cats 88-82.
Bethel dropped to 6-7 overall and 1-7 in the MSC. The No. 7 Bears won their ninth straight and ran their record to 13-1 and 9-1 in the league.
The Wildcats trailed early and took their first lead at 27-26 midway of the first half. Bethel led 44-41 at halftime.
The Cats maintained a lead much of the second half and had an eight point lead (76-68) with under six minutes left in the game. A ten point unanswered run by the Bears gave SSU a 78-76 margin. Bethel's Kamron Rose tied the game but the Bears outscored the Wildcats 10-4 to win.
The Wildcats shot 36 percent (28-77) from the floor while the Bears hit 28-of -64 shots at 43 percent. Both squad struggled in three point attempts. SSU was 4-of -19 while Bethel was 6-of-22 from outside. Bethel was 20-of -27 from the foul line. SSU was 28-of-34 from the stripe. The Bears won the battle of the boards at 41-38.
Rose led Bethel with 20 points. Chandler Clements fouled out but finished with 16 points. Jamarius had 12 points while Jon Brown and Myron McKinney both contributed with 10 points each.
SSU's James Jones led all scorers with 25 points.
Coach Jeff Britt was disappointed but pleased with his team's effort. "Shawnee is an outstanding team and worthy of their Top Ten ranking. Our kids competed and played so hard. I am proud of their effort. We just simply have to learn to close out these tight games. We had a chance but again just didn't do it. We have to continue to work hard and do the little things to win. This league is as tough as it gets and I feel is the best in the nation. We have another tough game Saturday."
The Wildcats are back in action Saturday hosting Thomas More at 4 p.m. The Saints are 7-3 and 5-3 after winning 85-71 at Freed-Hardeman Thursday night in Henderson.
Live video:
https://www.bethelathletics.com/f/WildcatVision.php
Live stats:
http://www.dakstats.com/Websync/Pages/Webcasts.aspx?association=10
Live audio:
https://www.thefarmradio.com/
Ticket Information
HomeTown Ticketing has been named the Official Ticketing Partner for Bethel University sporting events. This applies for basketball and football only.
All in attendance for basketball and football games will be required to have a ticket for admission.
The partnership will provide convenient online ticketing options for consumers, as well as additional security and reporting capabilities for the Bethel staff to utilize.
To obtain tickets, students, fans and supporters are asked to visit www.bethelathletics.com and go to the Tickets tab at the top of the page. The ticket tab will list all home events that tickets are required for. Obtain or purchase the tickets at that tab.
Ticket prices may vary and are notated for each event as it is listed.
Remember to social distance and wear your mask inside the arena at all times. Currently due to COVID-19, there will be no food or drinks allowed inside the arena.
Arena Protocols
Precautions and measures for teams, coaches and support staff
- MSC guidelines are being followed. These guidelines include but are not limited to :
1 - Coach/Player education about how to slow/prevent the spread of COVID-19
2 - Daily screening, pre travel screening
3- Cleaning and sanitizing of materials and facilities used and to be used
4 – Bench maximums
5- Coaching staff and support staff to wear masks
Precautions for fans & staff in arena
Each venue at Bethel University is under MSC & NAIA reduced capacity guidelines
Masks required at all times
- All fans enter gates next to ticket booths (no exceptions) All fans must have a ticket for entrance
- Fans are required to wear face masks at all times at ALL TIMES
- No food or drinks allowed in the arena
- Fans are required to sit six feet apart unless they are within a family group
- Only authorized and pre-game approved personnel allowed on the floor before and after the games
- Only authorized and pre-game approved personnel allowed near benches and press row
- We ask that fans do their best to not intermingle closely with players not in their family group before or after the game
- Selected games will be video streamed with no charge during the fall. There will be a streaming charge for spring contests.
These measures are subject to change with further details to be posted at www.bethelathletics.com
