Cats Host Patriots Thursday
MCKENZIE, Tenn. – After seeing their winning streak snapped at Shawnee State, the Bethel Wildcats jump back into action Thursday returning home to face the Patriots of the University of the Cumberlands at 7:30 p.m. It will be RaeKar Night with promotions and giveaways for fans in attendance.
The Wildcats sport a 12-8 overall record. Bethel is 8-7 in the Mid-South Conference. Bethel is 5-2 at home on the season. The Wildcats are 119-46 in the ten-year history of Crisp Arena. The Cats are 5-5 in their last ten games.
Cumberlands is coming off a home loss to No. 10 Thomas More and is 13-8 and 7-8. The Pats have dropped six of their last ten games.
The Cats beat the (RV) Patriots 83-79 earlier this month in Williamsburg.
The Cats shot 46 percent in the first half but UC shot 52 percent from the floor to lead 45-37 at the break. Connor Guthrie led Bethel with 14 points in the half.
Bethel trailed 71-63 with 5:30 left but behind scoring by Querrion Gadson, Tyler Neely, and Keyshawn Kennedy the Cats prevailed for the narrow win.
Gadson scored 11 of his 22 points in the last five minutes. Kennedy nailed two late free throws to ice the game. He finished with 15 points. Neely had 11 while Guthrie shared scoring honors with Gadson with 22 points.
Jahi Hinson led CU with 19 points.
Both squads shot 49 percent from the floor. Bethel hit three three-pointers and hit 16-of-24 free throw attempts. CU hit five three-pointers and hit 8-of-14 free throws.
The Wildcats had a 35-33 advantage in rebounds.
It will be the fifth meeting between the two programs with UC holding a 3-1 margin in the series. It will be the second meeting between the two in McKenzie.
Live coverage:
Video:
https://bethelathletics.com/watch
Stats:
https://bethelathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2022-23/boxscores/20230126_sv1f.xml
Radio:
The Countdown to Tip-off Show begins immediately following the women's game.
https://streamdb6web.securenetsystems.net/v5/WEIO
Tickets: Cashless Gate
https://bethelathletics.com/tickets
The Wildcats average 75.5 and yield 75.3 points per game. The Cats shoot 47 percent from the floor. They average 31 percent from behind the arc. Bethel shoots 68 percent from the free throw line. The Wildcats outrebound their opponents 35-29 per outing. Bethel's opponents are shooting 46 percent from the field and 34 percent in three-point attempts.
Gadson leads the Cats in scoring at 12.4 points per game. Tyler Neely averages 10.4 per contest.
Jeff Britt is in his 23rd year at Bethel and is 505-355 in his career. He has 356 wins at Bethel. Britt ranks 10th for most wins among active NAIA Division I men's basketball coaches.
The Pats average 76.4 points per game. They yield 70.3 per outing. UC shoots 41 percent from the floor. Their opponents average 46 percent from the field. The Patriots shoot 37 percent from behind the arc while opponents are averaging 28 percent on attempts from long distance. Cumberlands is being outrebounded 32-31 per game. Steven Fitzgerald leads the Pats in scoring at 17.0 points per outing. Jahi Hinson follows at 16.5 per game.
Matt Daniel is in his second season as the Head Coach of the Patriots after being elevated in September 2021. Daniel spent the two seasons as an Assistant Coach after being hired in July 2019. Daniel is an alum that graduated from Cumberlands in 2012. Prior to returning to UC, Daniel spent five years as the head coach at Montgomery County High School. He is 33-21 at UC and has a 20-17 mark in MSC games.
Official Game Day Program: