Bethany College senior Matt Drahos hit two free throws with four seconds left to give the Bison men’s basketball team a 71-70 victory over Division II Wheeling Jesuit University Tuesday on the first night of the Wendy’s Classic, which is being hosted by West Liberty State College.
Bethany evened its record at 3-3 with the victory, while the Cardinals, who went 21-11 last year and won the WVIAC Tournament to earn their first-ever berth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament, suffered their first loss of the season and now stand at 2-1.
The Bison dominated in the first half, streaking out to a 14-0 lead in the opening six and a half minutes and Wheeling Jesuit never moved closer than eight points before halftime. The opening burst was highlighted by four three-pointers from BC, including a pair by senior guard Scott Mezyk.
After being held scoreless for the first 6:44, the Cardinals finally got on the board with two free throws by King Minor and used a 7-0 spurt later in the half to slice the Bison lead to 25-17 with 5:40 left. The Green and White had an immediate answer, as senior forward Mike Drahos buried a triple on the ensuing possession, one of eight treys Bethany knocked down in the opening half.
Wheeling Jesuit cut it to eight again at 31-23 on a basket by Rusty Wooten at the 3:02 mark, but BC responded with back-to-back buckets by junior forward James Wallace, which helped send Bethany into the locker room with a 37-25 advantage at intermission.
The Bison offense was solid in the first half, as they shot 48 percent (14-29) from the field, including 50 percent (8-16) from behind the arc. But it was the Bethany defense that was just as impressive, as the Cardinals hit just nine of 34 attempts from the floor (27 percent). The highlight to BC’s defensive effort was junior Chris Stephens harassing two-time All-WVIAC pick and 1,400-point scorer Terrance Bradley into a 0-10 performance in the first half.
Bethany continued to control the contest through the opening five minutes of the second half. Bradley finally got on the board with a three-point play and a triple but Bethany’s lead remained at 15 points following an acrobatic shot by Mezyk. With the shot clock at two seconds and BC inbounding from the sideline, the Bison point guard took the pass, dribbled around two defenders and lofted a running three-pointer from the left wing, which banked in as the horn sounded to put Bethany up 49-34.
The shot only seemed to wake up Wheeling Jesuit, and in particular Bradley, who was one of three starters and 11 lettermen returning from last year’s NCAA team. The Cardinals ripped off a 23-3 run, which saw Bradley fire in 12 during the more than six minute stretch and when Ricky Yahn cashed in a triple with 8:57 to play, Wheeling Jesuit had all the momentum and a 57-52 lead.
The Cardinals lead was still five at 63-58 when the Bison came back. Matt Drahos completed a three-point play and then scored a lay-up on the next trip to knot the score at 63-63 with 4:30 to play. A basket by Yahn was answered with a jumper from sophomore guard Brody Jackson and then a lay-up by sophomore center Joe Sprumont off a behind-the-back feed from Mezyk gave the lead back to Bethany at 67-65 with 2:18 left.
The lead would switch hands four times in the final two minutes. Yahn drilled a trey to put Wheeling Jesuit ahead by a point with two minutes to go. The Bison reclaimed the advantage with 39 ticks remaining on a score by Matt Drahos, but Jesuit responded on the other end with a basket by Bradley with 18 seconds left to grab a 70-69 lead. Bradley was also fouled on the play but missed the free throw. The Cardinals pulled the offensive board and a foul by BC gave Minor a one-and-one, but he missed the front end and Bethany had possession with 13 seconds left.
On the other end, the Bison tried to feed Matt Drahos in the post, but he was fouled before he could get the ball. The 6-6 senior stepped to the line for a one-and-one and calmly swished both shots for a 71-70 BC advantage with four seconds to play. Yahn had the final Cardinals’ final chance to win, but his off-balance runner from just outside the paint at the buzzer was short and Bethany had their second upset of Wheeling Jesuit in the last three meetings. The Bison defeated the Cardinals 108-100 back in 2001, which was the same year the Green and White won 21 games and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Bethany’s offense featured a balanced attack, as all nine players that saw time scored. Overall, BC hit 25 of 50 shots from the floor and connected on 11 of 23 attempts from the arc. Leading the way individually was Matt Drahos, who totaled 18 points on 7-11 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots. Mike Drahos tallied 15 markers, nine boards and four assists and Mezyk finished with nine points and four assists.
Wheeling Jesuit, who has won 20 or more games in each of the last three seasons, was led by Bradley, who hit for 22 second half points. Minor recorded 16 points and eight rebounds, while Wooten added 10.
Bethany will have little time to enjoy the victory, as they return to West Liberty for the second night of the Wendy’s Classic Wednesday night. The Bison will take on Ohio University-Eastern at 6 p.m. Last year, BC throttled the Panthers 117-69 for their largest victory since the 1980-81 season.
Bethany College vs Wheeling Jesuit 11-29-05 6:00 PM at West Liberty ASRC At West Liberty ASRC BETHANY COLLEGE 71, WHEELING JESUIT 70 BETHANY COLLEGE (3-3) Matt Drahos 7-11 3-3 18; Mike Drahos 4-12 5-6 15; Scott Mezyk 3-7 0-0 9; Brody Jackson 3-3 0-0 8; Marc Palermo 3-5 0-0 8; James Wallace 2-3 0-2 4; Joe Sprumont 2-3 0-0 4; Josh Polantz 1-2 0-0 3; Chris Stephens 0-4 2-2 2. Totals 25-50 10-13 71. WHEELING JESUIT (2-1 (0-0)) Terrance Bradley 9-22 1-2 22; King Minor 6-10 4-5 16; Rusty Wooten 4-12 2-3 10; Matt Plunkett 3-7 0-0 8; Ricky Yahn 3-7 0-0 8; Jhared Simpson 2-4 0-0 4; Duane Compo 0-1 2-2 2; Colin Howard 0-3 0-0 0; Jared Mike 0-2 0-0 0; Will Hicks 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 27-72 9-12 70. Bethany College............... 37 34 - 71 Wheeling Jesuit............... 25 45 - 70 3-point goals-Bethany College 11-23 (Scott Mezyk 3-7; Mike Drahos 2-5; Brody Jackson 2-2; Marc Palermo 2-3; Matt Drahos 1-3; Josh Polantz 1-2; Chris Stephens 0-1), Wheeling Jesuit 7-27 (Terrance Bradley 3-11; Ricky Yahn 2-6; Matt Plunkett 2-5; Duane Compo 0-1; Will Hicks 0-3; Rusty Wooten 0-1). Fouled out--Bethany College-None, Wheeling Jesuit-None. Rebounds-Bethany College 34 (Mike Drahos 9), Wheeling Jesuit 38 (King Minor 8). Assists-Bethany College 15 (Mike Drahos 4; Scott Mezyk 4), Wheeling Jesuit 5 (Matt Plunkett 1; King Minor 1; Jared Mike 1; Terrance Bradley 1; Will Hicks 1). Total fouls-Bethany College 13, Wheeling Jesuit 14. First Round of the 2005 Wendy's Classic hosted by West Liberty GAME 1 Bethany College VS Wheeling Jesuit