The triumph was BC’s 11th in a row and improved their record to 16-4 overall and a perfect 7-0 in the PAC. Westminster fell to 5-14 on the year and 2-5 in the conference.
The last time these two teams faced off, BC scored a 140-109 win to set the school record for points in a game. Westminster may have learned a lesson from that game, as the Titans came out in a more regular tempo offense and in a 1-3-1 zone. The different look seemed to give BC some trouble early, as the Bison committed 16 turnovers in the first half and only had a 33-32 lead at intermission.
“When you get ready to play Westminster, you prepare to be in a track meet,” said Bison head coach Aaron Huffman. “But we thought they might try something a little different and it may have caught us off-guard a little because they didn’t press as much.”
Bethany held a 33-27 advantage with 2:27 left before halftime after senior guard Josh Polantz sandwiched buckets around two free throws by senior guard Scott Mezyk. The Titans responded with the last two buckets of the half, including a three-quarter court shot from guard Mark DeMonaco at the horn to make it a one-point Bison advantage at halftime.
Drahos was well on his way to a big game, as he totaled 19 points and 10 rebounds in the opening stanza, while Craig Hannon poured in 16 for the Titans, who were just 4-of-18 from the arc in the first half, but used the 16 BC turnovers to score 15 points.
The teams exchanged the lead six times in the first four minutes of the second half before Bethany went on a 10-1 spurt to take a 53-44 lead. Matt Drahos had three baskets during the stretch, which was answered immediately by back-to-back threes from DeMonaco and Hannon to make it a 53-51 game.
Westminster would tie the game twice later in the half and stayed within a point at 72-71 with 5:16 to go in the game. The Bison pulled away from there, as a three-point play by senior forward Mike Drahos started a 10-1 run, which saw the 6-5 forward score seven of the 10 points during the burst. The Green and White wrapped up the win by hitting six free throws in the final 1:02 and Bethany had their fourth straight win over Westminster after dropping the first five meetings with the Titans in Huffman’s tenure.
“I thought we did a good job adjusting to their changes in the second half,” said Huffman. “It just took us a half to switch gears and settle into more of a regular game rather than the frantic pace you usually end up playing against them. That helped us settle down with the basketball and we only made three turnovers in the second half.”
Pacing the victory was another giant game from Matt Drahos, who is making this a habit against the Titans. With his 32 points and 26 rebounds, the 6-6 center has averaged 40.3 points and 19.3 rebounds in his last three meetings with Westminster, which he credits to just having fun on the court against their rivals from New Wilmington.
“I like playing their team and playing against their guys,” said Drahos. “We joke around with DeMonaco and some other guys on their team, so it’s always fun playing them and I play my best when I’m having fun.”
Matt Drahos wasn’t the only Bison to post lofty numbers, as his brother Mike scored 20 of his 24 in the second half and added five rebounds and five assists. Polantz tossed in 14 for the second consecutive game and Mezyk tallied 11 markers and six assists.
Westminster had three players hit for double figures, including DeMonaco and Hannon with 24 each and Greg Rosatelli with 17.
Bethany returns to the floor Wednesday when they host Thomas More College at 8 p.m. The Bison slipped past the Saints 84-77 in their initial meeting of the year on Jan. 7. The game will also be a chance for Matt Drahos to continue his pursuit of a long-time college record.
Already the school-record holder for points in a game after the 49 he put on Westminster in their Jan. 16 meeting, Drahos added the single-game rebounding record to his list of accomplishments. In addition, he now has jumped to 849 boards for his career and is just 52 away from breaking the school’s career rebounding record, held by Phil Harrison (1960-64) with 900. While Drahos says surpassing that mark would be nice, there are other things he wants to make sure the Bison do this year.
“It’s definitely something I think about and would like to have,” said Drahos when asked about the career rebounding record. “I wouldn’t call it a goal and I wouldn’t be completely disappointed if I didn’t get it, but it’s certainly one I’d like to get.”
If Drahos keeps playing the way he has over the last four games, a stretch that has seen him average 32.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game, then he should not only get any individual record he wants, but he could have the Bison playing deep into March.
Westminster vs Bethany College 1/28/06 4 p.m. at Bethany, WV At Bethany, WV BETHANY COLLEGE 94, WESTMINSTER 86 WESTMINSTER (5-14, 2-5 PAC) Craig Hannon 10-26 1-1 24; Mark DeMonaco 7-15 6-9 24; Greg Rosatelli 7-14 2-2 17; Chauncey Whitlow 3-8 0-0 7; Nick Adams 2-6 1-2 7; Mike Kobal 1-1 0-0 2; David Richards 1-2 0-0 2; Brian Urso 1-5 0-0 2; Brian Fadden 0-2 1-2 1; Jake Zatchok 0-2 0-0 0; C.J. Confer 0-0 0-0 0; Ryan Ricketts 0-0 0-0 0; Bobby Preston 0-0 0-0 0; Todd Leonhardt 0-0 0-0 0; Nick DiNatale 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-81 11-16 86. BETHANY COLLEGE (16-4, 7-0 PAC) Matt Drahos 13-22 6-8 32; Mike Drahos 9-13 5-5 24; Josh Polantz 5-9 3-4 14; Scott Mezyk 2-6 6-6 11; Chris Stephens 3-9 0-0 7; Brody Jackson 2-6 2-2 6; Marcus Adams 0-2 0-2 0; Marc Palermo 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 34-68 22-27 94. Westminster................... 32 54 - 86 Bethany College............... 33 61 - 94 3-point goals-Westminster 11-45 (Mark DeMonaco 4-8; Craig Hannon 3-17; Nick Adams 2-6; Chauncey Whitlow 1-5; Greg Rosatelli 1-5; Jake Zatchok 0-2; Brian Urso 0-2), Bethany College 4-18 (Mike Drahos 1-2; Chris Stephens 1-5; Scott Mezyk 1-4; Josh Polantz 1-3; Marc Palermo 0-1; Brody Jackson 0-2; Matt Drahos 0-1). Fouled out--Westminster-Brian Fadden, Bethany College-Josh Polantz. Rebounds-Westminster 39 (Chauncey Whitlow 8), Bethany College 50 (Matt Drahos 26). Assists-Westminster 9 (Mark DeMonaco 4), Bethany College 22 (Scott Mezyk 6). Total fouls-Westminster 25, Bethany College 19. A-445 Bethany wins 11th consecutive game and reaches 90 points for a school-record 7th consecutive game. - Bethany's Matt Drahos sets school-record with 26 rebounds.