MARIETTA, Ohio - The Bethany College men's basketball team opened the 2026-27 season as they fell to Marietta (Ohio) College by a final score of 94-82 in a non-conference game in Ban Johnson Arena.
Bethany (0-1) opened the much-anticipated 2026 campaign by traveling downriver to face off against Marietta (1-0). The Green and White traded punches with the Pioneers before Marietta pulled away at the half, but that did not stop another run by the Bison to close the gap in the second period. Bethany had three players with 15 or more points to help lead the comeback but 12 staight points by the Pioneers down the stretch secured the victory for the home squad.
Bethany Leaders
- Junior All-PAC forward Jayden Jackson (Columbia, S.C./A.C. Flora) started the season with a bang by scoring a career-high 30 points with 12 rebounds to complete the double-double
- Sophomore guard Jaden Stewart (Pikeville, Ky./Pike County Central) also registered a career-best with 25 points that included a game-high five threes while also grabbing nine rebounds
- Sophomore guard Semaj Marshall (Washington, D.C./Parkside) rounded out the Bison's three-headed monster with 19 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals
- Junior forward JB Mongeois (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Palm Beach Central) collected five rebounds, two blocks, and two points in his first career start
- Sophomore guard Ryan Raich (Olmsted Falls, Ohio) also added two points along with two rebounds and a steal
- Junior guard Elijah Carroll (Hyattsville, Md./Charles Herbert Flowers) and freshman forward Jabriel Rufai (Trenton, Ohio/Newton Falls) each scored in their Green and White debut
Marietta Leaders
- Senior guard Trenton Collins edged out Jackson with 31 points on 71% shooting
- Junior forward Toma Gasaj tied a game-high 12 rebounds
- Sophomore guard Joey Emory led all players with six assists
First Half (Marietta 41-33)
- Stewart opened the game by drilling a three for the first points of the season
- Marshall led the team in scoring with 12 of his 19 points on the night
- Mongeois posted all of his rebounds with five of the team's 18 in the period
Second Half (Marietta 94-82)
- The Bison went on an 11-3 run to make it a one-possession game five minutes into the half
- Jackson heated up with 21 second-half points and 10 rebounds
- Bethany's defense forced seven Pioneer turnovers
- Jackson hit a three and made a free-throw to cut the deficit to just one point with three minutes to play
The Bison are back in action Wednesday, November 11 as they travel to Erie, Pennsylvania to take on Penn State University-Behrend in a non-conference game at 7 p.m. in the Junker Center.
