Buckets by BC junior Chris Stephens and senior Scott Mezyk opened the game, but the Saints’ R.K. Thurman scored five straight to ignite a 12-0 run to give TMC their biggest lead of the game at 12-4. The hosts’ lead was 27-26 before BC hit for 10 consecutive points, including a dunk by senior forward Matt Drahos, to claim a 36-27 lead. The Saints would move within five but the Bison scored the last eight points of the half to carry a 50-36 advantage into halftime.
A hot-shooting Bethany team, which hit 55 percent (18-33) in the opening half, including six of 12 attempts from behind the arc, was led by senior forward Mike Drahos, who notched 15 points and six boards by the break.
Back-to-back scores by Matt Drahos, including his second dunk of the game, and a free throw by Mike Drahos gave Bethany their biggest lead of the night at 55-36 with 18 minutes to play. The Bison lead was still a comfortable 63-45 when Thomas More’s Mason O’Hara swished a trey and was fouled. The four-point play started a 25-9 blitz from the Saints that brought them to within a basket at 72-70 with 5:41 remaining.
That would be as close as Thomas More would get. Bethany scored six points in a row to push their lead back to eight and then hit four of six foul shots in the final 2:14 to wrap up the win, the Bison’s fourth consecutive, all of which have come on the road.
Bethany’s offense was spearheaded by Matt Drahos, who finished with 20 points, five rebounds and three steals. Mike Drahos recorded his third straight double-double and fifth of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while senior guard Josh Polantz came off the bench to score 10.
Not only did the three seniors lead the Bison in scoring for the game, but with the win, they became the all-time winningest senior class in Bethany men's basketball history. They now have a record of 62-32 through their careers, surpassing the previous best four-year span from 1960-64. That class went 61-11 and won two PAC crowns, including a perfect 18-0 mark during the 1963-64 season.
Thurman paced the Saints with 16 points and eight boards, while O’Hara and Ed Thornton each registered 12 markers in the defeat.
The Bison won’t wait long to get back to action, as they host D’Youville College Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. It will be Bethany’s final non-conference game before BC gets back to the PAC schedule on Wednesday when they host Waynesburg College at 6 p.m.
Bethany BISON vs Thomas More SAINTS 01/07/06 3 p.m. at Crestview Hills, KY (Connor Convocation) At Crestview Hills, KY (Connor Convocation) BETHANY BISON 84, THOMAS MORE SAINTS 77 BETHANY BISON (9-4, 1-0 PAC) Matt Drahos 7-16 6-8 20; Mike Drahos 6-12 3-4 18; Josh Polantz 3-4 3-4 10; Brody Jackson 3-5 1-2 8; Scott Mezyk 3-6 1-2 8; Chris Stephens 2-5 3-4 7; James Wallace 2-3 2-4 6; Marc Palermo 0-1 5-6 5; Marcus Adams 1-2 0-0 2; Joe Sprumont 0-0 0-0 0; Imani Smith 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-54 24-34 84. THOMAS MORE SAINTS (0-13, 0-1 PAC) R.K. Thurman 6-10 4-7 16; Mason O'Hara 4-7 1-1 12; Ed Thornton 5-5 0-0 12; Garry Horton 3-6 2-4 8; E.J. Haynes 3-7 2-3 8; Brandon Bolden 3-5 0-0 6; Mark Lucas 2-7 0-0 5; Matt Tierney 1-2 2-2 4; Michael Selm 1-3 0-0 3; Jeremy Abell 1-2 1-2 3; Mark Krebs 0-0 0-0 0; Charles Kinney 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-55 12-19 77. Bethany BISON................ 50 34 - 84 Thomas More SAINTS............ 36 41 - 77 3-point goals-Bethany BISON 6-16 (Mike Drahos 3-4; Scott Mezyk 1-3; Josh Polantz 1-2; Brody Jackson 1-3; Chris Stephens 0-2; Matt Drahos 0-2), Thomas More SAINTS 7-18 (Mason O'Hara 3-5; Ed Thornton 2-2; Michael Selm 1-2; Mark Lucas 1-5; Jeremy Abell 0-1; Brandon Bolden 0-2; Garry Horton 0-1). Fouled out--Bethany BISON-None, Thomas More SAINTS-None. Rebounds-Bethany BISON 34 (Mike Drahos 10), Thomas More SAINTS 31 (R.K. Thurman 8). Assists-Bethany BISON 15 (Chris Stephens 5), Thomas More SAINTS 11 (Ed Thornton 4). Total fouls-Bethany BISON 19, Thomas More SAINTS 24. PAC Opener for both teams. Bethany's Mike Drahos records third straight double-double and fifth of the year.