Nov. 30 – CHICAGO, ILL. – The Bethany College men's basketball team (4-2) dropped a 78-52 decision to the 23rd-ranked Maroons of the University of Chicago in the Championship final of the UC tournament on Sunday afternoon.
The Bison came out strong in the opening frame, taking their first lead of the game, 6-4, on a three-point basket by Alan Harper (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) with 16:49 to play. With the game tied at 6-6, the Bison embarked on a 15-5 run to take their largest advantage of the game, 21-11, with 8:07 left in the opening half. The run was sparked by a pair of threes from Harper and senior Jeff Joynes (Baltimore, Md./Poly).
The tables turned, however, as the Nation's 23rd-ranked team answered the Bethany run with one of their own. The Maroons outscored the Bison 21-3 over the final eight minutes of the half to take an eight-point lead into the half (32-24). The Green & White's only basket over the final eight minutes was a three pointer by Delonte' Joyce (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis).
The Bison could not retake the lead from the Maroons in the second half, and Chicago would go on to earn the 26-point decision. The Bison shot well from the free-throw line, going 15-of-17 from the charity stripe in the frame, including 5-of-5 from Joynes and 3-of-4 from Yuki Yashiro (Chiba, Japan/South Kent) off the bench.
For Bethany, the Bison were led offensively by Joynes, who finished the game with 12 points to go along with six rebounds. Joynes did most of his damage from the free-throw line, converting on all seven of his chances. Andres Herrero (Guadalajara, Spain) fell just one point short of his second double-double of the season, as he finished the contest with 10 rebounds and nine points.
The Bison will return to the floor on Wednesday, December 3, as they open Presidents' Athletic Conference play against Saint Vincent College. The game is scheduled to be played following the women's contest, which is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.
