MCKENZIE, Tenn. – The Bethel Wildcats had no problems in their dominating 109-58 victory over Southeastern Baptist Friday night in the Chick-fil-A Classic in Crisp Arena.
The Cats pulled away in the first half and led 55-26 at the break. Bethel shot 51 percent from the floor and forced the Chargers into 16 first half turnovers.
The Wildcats kept the pressure on the visitors from Mississippi as Southeastern Baptist finished the game with 28 turnovers. The Cats shot 56 percent from the floor in the second half. Bethel had a 39-13 advantage in points off turnovers and a 42-18 margin in points in the paint. The Wildcats had a remarkable 73-21 margin in points off the bench.
Bethel was 17-of-23 from the free throw line and outrebounded the Chargers 33-20.
Seventeen different players scored for Bethel with four finishing in double digits. Connor Guthrie led with 13 points off the bench. Dillon Woods led the Chargers with 14 points.
Coach Jeff Britt was pleased with the win. "I thought our guys played hard. We have a lot of guys fighting for minutes. We shot the ball well and forced them into some situations which led to their turnovers, especially in the first half. With four games this week, it was good to be able to play so many players."
The classic continues Saturday with Blue Mountain meeting Southeastern Baptist at 2 p.m. and the Wildcats taking on IU -Columbus at 4 p.m. BMC beat IU-Columbus 86-70 in the earlier game Friday.
Bethel moved to 2-0 while Southeastern Baptist is 0-2. Blue Mountain is 3-1. IU-Columbus is 0-5.
