Provenzano, who is now averaging 29.4 points per game, was 17-for-20 from the floor and 15-for-20 from the free throw line on his way to breaking the previous school record of 34 he initially set last year against Bethany. The Bison (5-2), who have now won four straight games, answered every challenge and although their lead was challenged time and time again—the Blazers (5-3) got to within three points or less on eight different occasions in the second half—Bethany pulled out the tough non-conference victory.
Mike Drahos led four Bethany players in double-figures with 21 points and brother Matt Drahos followed with 18. Chris Stephens and Brandon Duncan scored 16 and 15 points, respectively, to round out the Bison’s top scorers.
David Wilson played well for Hood, which saw its three-game winning streak and its six-game home win streak end, with seven points and a game-high nine boards and Jesse Gutekunst blocked five shots to go along with six points.
After taking a 47-43 lead into the half, Bethany pulled ahead 54-45 less than three minutes into the second half after a Mike Drahos layup. That spurred the Blazers as they went on a 6-0 run to pull within 54-51 with 15:42 remaining.
The teams traded buckets over the next four minutes, but the Bison went ahead 63-57 on a short jumper from Matt Drahos. Provenzano single-handedly rallied Hood back to within one with five straight points over the next 14 seconds.
He converted a traditional three-point play and followed it with layup on Hood’s next trip down the floor to cut Bethany’s lead to 63-62 with 11:02.
That’s the closest Hood would get, as the Bison opened up a lead as big as 13-points at one point down the stretch before settling for the nine-point victory.
For the game, Hood shot 50.0 percent (29-for-58) from the floor, but went just 2-for-13 from 3-point land while Bethany was 10-for-24 from behind the arc and 31-for-67 overall.
The Blazers now take a 21-day break before getting back in action Dec. 29 in the Weenie Miller Holiday Tournament at Hampden-Sydney College. Hood will take on the hosts at 4 p.m. on Dec. 29 and will play against either #16 Baldwin-Wallace or Eastern on Dec. 30 at either 2 or 4 p.m.