Wildcats Host Williams Baptist in Non-Conference Match-up
MCKENZIE, Tenn. –After enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday, the Bethel Wildcats returned to practice Friday night to prepare for Saturday's non-conference home match-up versus the Williams Baptist Eagles. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. in Crisp Arena.
Bethel is 4-1 on the season while WBU comes to McKenzie sporting a 5-1 mark. Bethel has played all five games thus far at home. The Eagles are 1-1 in road action.
Last Time Out:
Bethel
The Wildcats played host to the Crowley's Ridge Pioneers Thursday morning. The Cats were looking to bounce back after a Saturday loss to Cumberland University. The Cats did just that by scoring a season high 102 points and winning 102-62. It was School Day with 300 McKenzie Middle School youngsters in attendance. The Cats improved to 4-1 while CRC fell to 0-8.
It was the 7th meeting between the two programs with Bethel now holding a 7-0 lead in the series. Bethel moved to 114-35 all-time in Crisp.
Bethel led 49-29 at the half. The Wildcats outscored the Pioneers 19-3 to begin the second half and never looked back winning by forty.
Four Wildcats finished in double figures with Hayden Thomas leading the Cats with 14. Jamarius Mayberry and Jon Brown contributed with 12 points each. Isaac Rankhorn came off the bench popping in 11 points. Thirteen different Wildcats scored in the game. Mayberry pulled down a game high 10 rebounds. Jarred Walker and Jose Nazario each had six assists for the Wildcats.
Braxton Cousins led CRC with a game high 23 points.
Bethel's bench outscored the Pioneer reserves 50-15. Bethel owned the boards with a 50-23 advantage.
The Cats shot a season high 56 percent hitting 39-of-69 shots from the field. Bethel was 13-of-29 from behind the three-point arc at 44 percent.
Coach Jeff Britt was pleased with the win. "We played well and had a chance to play a lot of people today. Hayden got the start with Drew (Thomas) out. He made the best of it with his ability to knock down the shots. The bench also gave us a big lift and that will be important down the road. All in all, it was a good effort with good results. We will give them a few days off and bring them back in Friday night and prepare for Saturday. We thank the Middle School students and Lauren Tate of our Education department for making it an even more special day."
WBU:
Evangel came out hot in the opening minutes of the game. They went on a 9-3 run to open the game, but the Eagles settled in and worked themselves back into the game. They tied the game at 17 off a three-pointer from Franklyn Petion with 11:27 remaining in the first half. On the next offensive possession, Petion was fouled and made both of his free-throws to give the Eagle the lead. Back-to-back baskets from Jaymes Jackson and Cory Sanders extended the lead to six. Petion made a layup and then a three-pointer with 3:08 left in the half to put the Eagles back up six. The Eagles go into halftime leading the Valor 40-34.
The second half started the same way as the first with Evangel coming out hot and on a 9-2 run. The teams traded punches until the 11:30 when Evangel went on a 7-0 run. Williams responded with a three from Braxton Haff and a jumper from Rajhon McIntosh to cut the lead back to two. Evangel then went on an 8-3 run to lead 73-64 with a 1:23 left in the game and effectively put the game out of reach for the Eagles.
The Eagles shot 37% from the field (23-61), 34.6% from the three-point line (9-26), and 64.7% from the free-throw line (11-17).
Petion led the Eagles with 13 points, while McIntosh had 11.
Jackson led the team on the boards with eight.
Cat Scratches:
Brown leads the Cats in scoring averaging 17.5 points per game. Drew Thomas is second in scoring at 14.0 per outing. Kameron Rose is good for 10.8 tallies per game. Jamarius Mayberry also averages 10.8 points per contest. Mayberry also leads Bethel in rebounding pulling down almost 10 per outing. The Cats average 81.4 and yield 65.0 points per game. The Cats outrebound their opponents 41-32 per game.
Eagle Flights:
Shackeel Batters leads the Eagles in scoring at 12.0 points per game. Cortez King and Braxton Huff both follow at 11.7 per game. King leads the squad in rebounding and assists. The Eagles average 87.5 and yield 71.5 points per game. The Eagles are one of the leading rebounding teams in the nation owning a 47-31 advantage in boards per outing.
The Walker Watch:
After Tuesday's game, Bethel senior guard Jarred Walker has 363 career assists which is 12th in program history. Jarred has 184 steals which is 6th in the Wildcat record book.
Jon Brown adds to Career Total:
After scoring 15 points versus Cumberland, Bethel's Jon Brown has 1, 060 career points.
Cats in Crisp:
The game marks the 150th game the Wildcats will play in Crisp Arena. Bethel is 114-35 in the building.
Coaches:
Jeff Britt is in his 22nd year as the head men's basketball coach at Bethel University and his 33rd year as a college basketball coach. His record as a head coach is 485-330 and includes 11 seasons with 20-plus wins. Britt is 379-287 at Bethel.
Josh Austin is in his 10th season at WBU. He is 141-138 with the Eagles and 221-212 overall in his career.
Media coverage & Links:
For Complete Game Day Notes visit:
https://www.bethelathletics.com/sports/mbkb/Men-s_Basketball_Game_Notes
Live stats:
https://bethelathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/boxscores/20211118_sg8k.xml
Live video:
https://bethelathletics.com/WildcatStreaming
Live radio: WEIO, 1009. The Countdown to Tip-off Show begins at 10:30 a.m.
https://streamdb6web.securenetsystems.net/v5/WEIO
Fans are reminded tickets for all basketball games at Crisp Arena must be purchased in advance. This will be the norm the remainder of the season.
Fans can purchase tickets with their credit cards only.
Tickets:
https://bethel.prestosports.com/bethel-box-office
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.
Check out the Game Day program for the game at: https://bethelathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/2021-22_Men-s_Basketball_Game_Notes_-_Nov._27.pdf