Cats Beat Raiders in MSC Opener
MCKENZIE, Tenn. –The Bethel Wildcats remained unbeaten on the early season with a 74-57 win over the visiting Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders Thursday night in Crisp Arena. Bethel moved to 3-0 and 1-0 while LWC dropped to 5-2 and 0-1. It marked the first time ever Bethel has beaten the Blue Raiders in McKenzie. Bethel led 38-26 at the half and maintained a double-digit lead for all of the second half.
Bethel's defense was superb as they held the Raiders to 20 points below their average. LWC shot just 31 percent from the floor while the Wildcats shot 48 percent connecting on 31-of-64 attempts from the field. Adding to Bethel's victory was a 42-27 margin in rebounding. Bethel has outrebounded each opponent in their three wins.
Drew Thomas was outstanding scoring a team high 19 points. Jon Brown, the former West Florida standout who reached the 1,000-career point plateau Saturday, finished with 16 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the game. Jamarius Mayberry who leads the team in rebounding (11.5) collected 11 boards and finished with eight points. Kamron Rose came off the Wildcat bench and scored 14 points.
Elijah Jordan led LWC with 20 points. Payton Cundiff hit four of Lindsey's eight three's and finished with 12 points.
The Walker Watch:
After the game, Bethel senior guard Jarred Walker has 355 career assists which is 12th in program history. Jarred has 178 steals which is sixth in the Wildcat record book.
The Wildcats play host to longtime rival Cumberland University at 4 p.m. Saturday. Bethel is 113-34 all-time in Crisp Arena.
Coach Jeff Britt was pleased with the victory. "I loved our effort. When one of your best players like Jon Brown sets the tone for defense it means a lot. I thought the rest of the team followed his lead. Drew Thomas was super all night long. Mayberry had an off night shooting but pulled down 11 boards and had four assists. Kam gave us a big effort off the bench. Everyone who came off the bench really contributed and all in all played well. We had six players off the bench who played 10 or more minutes. We will now prepare for a tough game as always against a good Cumberland University squad."
Live stats:
https://bethelathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/boxscores/20211118_sg8k.xml
Live video:
https://bethelathletics.com/WildcatStreaming
Live radio:
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Tickets:
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It is suggested fans wear a mask and practice social distancing outside their family group. These suggestions are for the safety of each and to assure our student-athletes can complete their seasons in a healthy environment.
