The Bison were sluggish in the opening half, as Thomas More scored the first three points of the half and the final five points before intermission. In between, BC outscored their guests 30-15 and would carry a 30-23 lead into halftime. Bethany’s first basket didn’t come until the 16:23 mark when Chris Stephens finally connected on a lay-up.
The Bison would only hit 9-of-33 shots in the opening half, but six of those baskets were threes, including a pair each from Matt Drahos, Scott Mezyk and Brody Jackson. Bethany also held a 25-16 margin on the glass, which included 11 offensive caroms.
Thomas More scored the opening hoop of the second half, but that was answered by a 12-0 Bison run to put the Green and White in front 42-25. Senior forward Mike Drahos, who was held scoreless in the first half, ignited the rally with a three-point play and followed that with back-to-back lay-ups. Junior James Wallace then capped the run with a lay-up and his own three-point play to extend BC’s lead to 17 with 15 minutes left on the clock.
The Saints crept within 12 at 49-37 with 8:58 to play, but Matt Drahos answered with a triple and a lay-in. Bethany would put the game away around the five-minute mark, as they tore off nine consecutive points to swell an 18-point lead to 69-42. The Bison then held the Saints to just two free throws and a jumper in the final two and a half minutes and Bethany had held their opponent to its lowest scoring output in a win since a 36-34 triumph over Carnegie Mellon University in 1984.
Although Bethany’s streak of consecutive games with 90 or more points scored came to an end at seven, it was the Bison defense that made headlines on this night. They held Thomas More to 39 percent shooting from the floor and forced 22 turnovers, which they converted into 29 points. In addition, while posting a 41-31 advantage on the boards for the game, BC held the Saints, who entered the game as the second-best rebounding team in the conference, to just seven offensive boards.
Leading Bethany’s offense was Matt Drahos, who recorded his sixth double-double of the year and 35th of his career with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Two other Bison hit for double figures, including Mezyk, who knocked down four treys en route to 12 markers, and Mike Drahos, who notched 10 points. Mezyk also handed out a game-high five assists.
The Saints were paced by E.J. Haynes, who netted 12, and R.K. Thurman, who finished with 10 points.
Now tied for the third-longest winning streak in school history, Bethany will try to make it 13 in a row on Saturday when they travel to Waynesburg College for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. The Bison scored a 102-93 triumph over the Yellow Jackets in their last meeting on Jan. 11.
Thomas More SAINTS vs Bethany College 2/1/06 8 p.m. at Bethany, WV At Bethany, WV BETHANY COLLEGE 71, THOMAS MORE SAINTS 46 THOMAS MORE SAINTS (2-19, 2-6 PAC) E.J. Haynes 6-10 0-0 12; R.K. Thurman 4-6 2-4 10; Matt Tierney 2-5 2-2 6; Ed Thornton 2-5 0-0 4; Michael Selm 1-3 0-0 3; Jeremy Abell 0-2 3-4 3; Mason O'Hara 1-6 0-0 2; Brandon Bolden 1-3 0-0 2; Garry Horton 1-6 0-2 2; Brad Cutter 1-2 0-0 2; Mark Lucas 0-0 0-0 0; Brett Durham 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-49 7-12 46. BETHANY COLLEGE (17-4, 8-0 PAC) Matt Drahos 8-15 4-6 23; Scott Mezyk 4-8 0-0 12; Mike Drahos 4-11 2-3 10; James Wallace 3-9 3-5 9; Brody Jackson 2-4 0-0 6; Josh Polantz 2-4 0-0 4; Carey Palermo 1-2 0-0 2; Marcus Adams 1-2 0-0 2; Chris Stephens 1-6 0-0 2; Marc Palermo 0-0 1-2 1; Bill Grant 0-0 0-0 0; Joe Sprumont 0-1 0-0 0; Matt Kubachka 0-0 0-0 0; Nate Stoner 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-62 10-16 71. Thomas More SAINTS............ 23 23 - 46 Bethany College............... 30 41 - 71 3-point goals-Thomas More SAINTS 1-11 (Michael Selm 1-3; Ed Thornton 0-1; Mason O'Hara 0-2; Brandon Bolden 0-2; Garry Horton 0-3), Bethany College 9-23 (Scott Mezyk 4-7; Matt Drahos 3-7; Brody Jackson 2-2; Josh Polantz 0-1; Carey Palermo 0-1; Chris Stephens 0-2; Mike Drahos 0-3). Fouled out--Thomas More SAINTS-None, Bethany College-None. Rebounds-Thomas More SAINTS 31 (R.K. Thurman 6; E.J. Haynes 6; Garry Horton 6), Bethany College 41 (Matt Drahos 10). Assists-Thomas More SAINTS 5 (Ed Thornton 4), Bethany College 18 (Scott Mezyk 5). Total fouls-Thomas More SAINTS 15, Bethany College 11. A-260 Bethany wins 12th consecutive game, third longest winning streak in school history. - 46 points is lowest total allowed by Bethany this year.