A lay-up by sophomore guard Brody Jackson (Akron, Ohio/Manchester) put the Bison in front 5-4, a lead they would hold for nearly the rest of the game. A 10-2 spurt near the middle of the first half, which featured Jackson hitting a lay-up and a three-pointer, gave BC its largest lead of the opening 20 minutes at 25-14. Bethany went on to carry a 42-36 lead into halftime, despite being outrebounded 28-14 in the opening frame.
In the second half, the Bison sandwiched a pair of three-pointers by senior guard Scott Mezyk around a jumper by senior forward Mike Drahos to take their largest lead of the night at 57-44 with 10:41 to play. The BC margin was still at 11 when senior forward Matt Drahos hit two free throws with 3:45 to play to make it a 67-56 game.
But the Spartans started their comeback immediately. Conrad scored six straight points in a 10-0 run to slice the Bison lead to 67-66 with 1:03 left. In the final 10 seconds, Jackson hit one of two free throws to make it 73-70, but Case’s Funso Lafe scored to cut the deficit to one. Bethany then missed a pair of free throws with four seconds to play. Following a timeout, Case’s Carson Oren missed a jumper but Conrad grabbed the miss and laid it in as the buzzer went off to give the Spartans the come-from-behind victory.
Although the Bison drilled 12 three-pointers in the game, compared to zero for Case, it was the Spartans dominance on the boards that made a big difference in this game. The hosts’ recorded a 59-22 advantage on the glass, including 24 offensive rebounds.
The Bison were led by Mezyk, who was named to the All-Tournament team after draining five triples and scoring 15 points. Matt Drahos scored 13, while Jackson set a new career-high for the second straight night with 12 points. Also reaching double figures was junior forward James Wallace with 11 and senior guard Josh Polantz with 10 off the bench.
For Case Western, Oren received tournament MVP honors after totaling 22 points and 14 rebounds. Conrad finished a double-double as well, registering 18 points and 11 boards.
The Bison will play their first home game of the season Tuesday, as they host Marietta College at 7 p.m.
Bethany College (WV) vs Case Western Reserve Univ. 11/19/05 4:10 p.m. at Horsburgh Gymnasium, Cleveland, Ohio At Horsburgh Gymnasium, Cleveland, Ohio CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIV. 74, BETHANY COLLEGE (WV) 73 BETHANY COLLEGE (WV) (1-1) Scott Mezyk 5-12 0-1 15; Matt Drahos 4-10 3-6 13; Brody Jackson 4-10 3-5 12; James Wallace 5-9 1-1 11; Josh Polantz 3-8 2-4 10; Mike Drahos 3-9 0-0 7; Chris Stephens 1-4 2-4 5; Joe Sprumont 0-1 0-0 0; Marcus Adams 0-0 0-0 0; Marc Palermo 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-63 11-21 73. CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIV. (2-0) Oren, Carson 10-19 2-4 22; Conrad, Mason 8-10 2-2 18; Lafe, Funso 7-16 0-0 14; Rodriguez, Tyler 4-10 2-2 10; Cannan, Matt 2-7 0-0 4; Bradford, Brandon 1-6 0-0 2; Impastato, Andrew 1-1 0-1 2; Bommer, Benton 1-2 0-0 2; Hill, Chris 0-0 0-0 0; Mullen, Richard 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-71 6-9 74. Bethany College (WV).......... 42 31 - 73 Case Western Reserve Univ..... 36 38 - 74 3-point goals-Bethany College (WV) 12-36 (Scott Mezyk 5-11; Matt Drahos 2-4; Josh Polantz 2-6; Brody Jackson 1-7; Mike Drahos 1-5; Chris Stephens 1-2; James Wallace 0-1), Case Western Reserve Univ. 0-7 (Oren, Carson 0-2; Lafe, Funso 0-1; Cannan, Matt 0-3; Bradford, Brandon 0-1). Fouled out--Bethany College (WV)-Mike Drahos, Case Western Reserve Univ.-Cannan, Matt; Bradford, Brandon. Rebounds-Bethany College (WV) 22 (James Wallace 4), Case Western Reserve Univ. 59 (Oren, Carson 14). Assists-Bethany College (WV) 20 (Chris Stephens 6), Case Western Reserve Univ. 14 (Bradford, Brandon 5). Total fouls-Bethany College (WV) 15, Case Western Reserve Univ. 20. A-123 2005 Case Alumni Association Tip-Off Tournament Championship Game