March 7 – STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – The Bethany College men's basketball team's run at their first ever Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship came to an end on Saturday evening, as the Bison dropped a 77-68 decision to Arcadia University in the ECAC DIII South Regional Semifinals.
The Green & White found themselves down by 14 with 9:22 to play in the opening half as the Knights opened the game with a 27-13 advantage through the first 11 minutes. However, the Bison would show the grit and determination that they have all season to climb back into the contest.
Over the next seven minutes of the first half, the Green & White would battle back, outscoring Arcadia 20-7 to pull within one point. Freshman Calique Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy) got the Bison going with a tough layup, resulting in a three-point play. Senior Jeff Joynes (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore) then got in on the action, hitting a three as he was fouled. The ensuing free throw, and resulting four-point swing cut the Arcadia lead to seven, 27-20.
The Knights would eventually push the lead back to double figures on a three pointer by John Landro, giving Arcadia a 34-24 lead. However, a three by Joynes, followed by back-to-back triples from senior Delonte' Joyce (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis) quickly dwindled the advantage to just one point, 34-33 with 2:54 remaining.
Arcadia's Torrell Candelaria would knock down a three with 39 seconds remaining to extend the lead again. However, junior Alan Harper (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) would respond with a three of his own. The Knights would then receive a tip-in by Joe Brown at the buzzer, and the Bison would find themselves down by three at the break, 39-36.
In the second half, the Bison would capture their first lead of the contest, 42-41, on a pair of free throws by Joyce. However, another three by Candelaria would retake the advantage for Arcadia, and the Green & White would never again lead.
Twice during the closing stanza, the Bison would cut the Knights' advantage to just one-point, both on baskets by Joynes. The second of the two had Bethany within striking distance, 53-52, with 8:29 to play. However, a 9-2 Arcadia run pushed the score back out to eight points, 62-54, and the Bison never again recovered, eventually succumbing to the nine-point difference, 77-68.
Offensively, the Bison were led by Joyce and Joynes who were playing in their final games in a Bison uniform. Joyce finished the contest with a game-high 24 points to go along with nine rebounds and two steals, while Joynes posted a 17-point effort, just one point shy of his season best.
Joyce's 24-point performance marked the 14th of the season for the senior guard. It also marked the first time in 14 games that the Bison had dropped a decision where he totaled at least 20 (previously 13-0). Joyce finished his Bethany career with 1,074 points, ranking him 22nd all-time on the Bethany career scoring list.
He also finished the season with 92 steals, coming one shy of the single-season record of 93 set by Nick Wilcox in 2011-12. Joyce completed his four-year career fourth on the all-time steals list with 194, just two behind Chris Stephens' 196 (2003-07).
The Bison finished the 2014-15 campaign with an 18-11 overall record, marking their 12th-consecutive season with a winning record. This season also marked their 11th-straight berth into postseason play.
