Nov. 29 – CHICAGO, ILL. – The Bethany College men's basketball team earned their third-straight victory, as they defeated Denison University, 61-56, in the semifinals of the University of Chicago men's basketball tournament on Saturday afternoon.
The Bison and Big Red played the game close over the first five minutes as alternating three pointers by Bethany's Andres Herrero (Guadalajara, Spain) and Denison's David Meurer tied the contest at 9-9 with 15:18 to play in the half.
Over the next seven minutes, Denison outscored the Bison 13-5 to run the Big Red's lead to 22-14. The +8 advantage would be Denison's largest of the game.
With the Bison down by four baskets, the Green & White would make a push. Over the final eight minutes of the half, Bethany outscored Denison 21-7 to retake the lead. The run was started on a three-point basket by Alan Harper (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic). Another three by Delonte' Joyce (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis) cut the Big Red lead to two (29-27) with 4:12 to play in the frame.
A steal by Joyce with 2:31 to play set up a fast break score by Pedro Lalor (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips). Lalor was also fouled on the layup, and the ensuing free throw gave Bethany a one-point lead (30-29) with 2:28 to go. Bethany would then add three free throws and a layup by Jeff Joynes (Baltimore, Md./Poly) to extend the lead to 35-29 at the halftime break.
Bethany would never relinquish the lead in the second half, and would run the advantage out to 12 points (46-34) on a layup by Harper with 13:54 remaining in the game. Nearly eight minutes later, the Bison would increase their advantage to the largest of the game, as a jumper by Darrian Bruster (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) gave Bethany a 56-43 lead with 5:39 to go.
It was there that Denison would make a run of their own, rattling off 10-straight points to cut the Bethany lead to 56-53 with just under two minutes remaining. The Bison would close out the Big Red, however, by hitting six-of-seven free throw attempts down the stretch to take the five-point victory, 61-56.
The Bison were on top of their game defensively as they held Denison to 35 percent shooting, which included 27 percent (8-of-29) in the second half. The point total for the Big Red marked the lowest score by a Bison opponent this season. The Green & White also notched at least 11 steals for the four time in their first five games, finishing the contest with 14.
Individually, Joyce once again led the way for Bethany, scoring 21 points in the win, which included 9-of-11 shooting from the free throw line. It marked the fourth time this season that Joyce has scored at least 20 points. Playing an all-around game, Joyce also finished the contest with five steals, five rebounds and three assists.
Other notable performances for the Bison included Harper, Joynes and Antonio Rudolph (New Castle, Pa./New Castle). Harper finished the contest with a season-high 12 points, including 2-of-3 from deep. Joynes posted eight points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Rudolph notched a team best and career high six steals for the Green & White.
With the win, the Bison will move on to the Tournament Championship game where they will face the host Maroons of the University of Chicago. The Maroons defeated Beloit 82-63 in the other semifinal contest. The game between the Bison and Maroons with tip off at 4 p.m. eastern time.
