MCKENZIE, Tenn. –The Bethel Wildcats returned home for the first time in almost a month when they played host to the No. 10 Thomas More Saints Thursday night in Crisp Arena. The game was the first of four straight home games for the Wildcats.
The Saints used a hot shooting second half to pull away and beat the Wildcats fell 77-57.
The Wildcats led 14-7 but TMU used a 17-2 run to grab a 24-16 lead. The Saints would go on to lead 33-24 at the half.
TMU maintained a double-digit margin much of the second half and gradually pulled away to win by twenty. The 57 points proved to be a season low for the Wildcats.
Thomas More shot a blistering 72 percent in the second half and finished at 56 percent for the game. The Saint defense held Bethel to 34 percent from the floor. TMU had a 37-27 rebound advantage.
Jarred Walker and Jon Brown led Bethel with nine points each. It marked the first time this season that Bethel failed to have at least one player score in double figures. Bethel's Jamarius Mayberry had a game high 10 rebounds.
The reigning MSC Player of the Week, Ryan Batte had a game high 24 points for the Saints.
Bethel dropped to 10-7 overall and 2-7 in the MSC. TMU won their fifth in a row and moved to 14-2 and 8-1. The Cats fell to 114-37 all-time in Crisp. Two of those losses have been to Thomas More.
Coach Jeff Britt said, "Combining the second half at CumberlandS (KY) and tonight's game, we have simply not shot the ball well at all. Give Thomas More a lot of credit for a lot of that but our decision making has also been a factor. We are not getting to the foul line enough and you cannot win in this league being outrebounded like we were tonight. We have to get refocused and get ready for an improved Shawnee State squad who took Freed to the wire tonight."
The Wildcats remain at home hosting Shawnee State at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Media coverage & Links:
Video stream:
https://bethelathletics.com/WildcatStreaming
Stat link:
https://bethel.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/boxscores/20211218_k5nd.xml
Radio Link: WEIO, 100.9
https://streamdb6web.securenetsystems.net/v5/WEIO
