The win, coupled with an 89-87 loss by Westminster College at Washington & Jefferson College, puts the Bison alone in first place in the PAC with a 14-5 overall record and a 6-1 league mark. Thiel falls to 5-13 and 2-5 with the setback.
The Bison took an early 10-5 lead, but the Tomcats roared back with a 14-0 run to grab their biggest lead of the day at 19-10 with 8:55 to go before halftime. Guard Brandon Mirizio spurred the run with nine points, including a trey to cap it. Bethany would retaliate with a 17-2 blitz over the next seven minutes, which helped send BC into halftime with a 30-24 advantage.
Bethany featured a balanced scoring attack in the first half, which saw them shoot 42 percent (11-26). Junior guard Brody Jackson put in eight by the break to lead the Green and White, while Mirizio tossed in nine for TC.
Through the first part of the second half, the Bison slowly pulled away from their hosts. Testa played a huge role in Bethany’s surge, as his two free throws with 10:50 left in the game gave BC a 55-38 cushion. Testa fired in 13 points during the stretch, which supplied Bethany with their biggest lead of the afternoon.
The Tomcats did not go away easily however, as Joe Herrmann scored seven straight points in a 9-0 Thiel run that cut the Bethany lead to 55-47. TC would get within six points three separate times but could never get over the hump. The Bison were able to keep the Tomcats at bay despite some troubles at the foul line. BC was just 6-for-12 from the charity stripe in the final three minutes, but Thiel couldn’t take full advantage and only made the final margin 75-72 because of a Herrmann triple as time expired.
Testa, who scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half, was 8-for-12 from the floor and 4-for-5 from the foul line in the win. He also pulled down a team-high six rebounds for a Bison team that was beaten by a 38-27 margin on the glass.
The Bison had a trio of other players notch double digits in the scorebook, including senior forward James Wallace and senior guard Marc Palermo with 13 each and Jackson with 10. Palermo also gave out a team-high four assists, while junior guard Marcus Adams made four steals.
For Thiel, Herrmann, the PAC’s leading scorer, put up very impressive numbers with 31 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Mirizio was next with 18 and Cory Chafee dropped in 11 for the Tomcats.
Bethany will hit the hardwood again this Wednesday, when they host Thomas More College in an 8 p.m. tip-off. The Bison will be trying for the season sweep of the Saints after registering a 70-64 triumph in Kentucky back on Jan. 10.