WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. – The Bethel Wildcats came within a whisper of grabbing their first ever MSC win Thursday night but couldn't hold on to a late lead and fell 79-76 to the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg.
The Wildcats dropped to 4-6 overall and 0-6 in the MSC. The Wildcats are 2-5 in road action on the season. The Patriots improved to 10-4 and 4-4.
Bethel trailed 39-30 with three minutes left in the first half but used a late surge to trail only 44-40 at the break. CU shot 55 percent in the first 20 minutes and had a 26-14 margin in points in the paint. Kamron Rose led Bethel with 14 first half points. Tevin Olison led the Patriots with 11 tallies.
The second half saw several lead (20 in the game) changes and Bethel appeared to be in good shape with a 68-61 lead with four minutes remaining. Baskets by Myron McKinney, Lazarick Hill and Jarred Walker had given the Cats the seven point cushion. CU's Olison led the Patriots back with several key baskets and Cumberlands took a 77-75 lead with seconds left. The Wildcats saw Jamarius Mayberry hit one of two free throws to make it 77-76. Olison then buried two free throws to give the Pats the three point margin. Jarred Walker's three point attempt was no good and the Wildcats fell by three.
Bethel was 28-of-67 for 41 percent in the game. The Wildcats hit five three's and were 15-of-16 from the free throw line. The Wildcats had a 30-9 margin in points off the bench and had a 35-34 advantage in rebounds. CU shot 40 percent hitting 29-of-71 shots. The Pats hit nine three-pointers and were 12-of-17 from the charity stripe.
Rose led Bethel with 19 points. Hill finished with 15 while Walker completed the night with 10 points. Olison led all scorers with 23 points.
The Wildcats remain on the road with a 3 p.m. CST tip-off at UPike Saturday afternoon. It will be the 5th meeting between the two programs with the Bears leading the series 3-1. The two programs have played two memorable games in their short history. The Bears beat the Cats 94-86 in first round action of the NAIA Championship Tournament in March of 2015. The Wildcats defeated the Bears 86-66 in November, 2016 in the MSC/SSAC Challenge in Pulaski at Martin Methodist.
The Bears are 5-6 and 3-5 in the MSC.
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