Bethel College wins KCAC Championship - Mar 15, 2021
No. 1 seed Bethel College defeated No. 2 seed Oklahoma Wesleyan University 73-72 in a nail-biter on Monday night to win the 2021 KCAC Men's Basketball Postseason Championship. The Threshers jumped out to a 35-30 lead in the first half, but the Eagles powered back in the second half and nearly earned the victory.
FIRST HALF Bethel and Oklahoma Wesleyan fought back and forth throughout the first half, with the Threshers taking a slight lead into halftime. The Threshers scored the first points of the game, a three-pointer by Clifford Byrd II (6'1''-G) II. The two teams traded buckets throughout the first eight minutes, with the Eagles taking the lead at the 11:36 mark behind a three point shot by Janson Lietzke (6'6''-F/C). After that, the momentum continued to swing back and forth between the two foes, until the Threshers went on a small run toward the end of the first half to take a 35-30 lead going into halftime. That was the largest lead for either team up to that point.
SECOND HALF The Threshers started the scoring in the second half, with Tavaughn Flowers (5'9''-PG) draining a three-pointer to increase the lead to eight. Oklahoma Wesleyan flipped the switch following that basket, going on an 8-1 run to bring the game within a single point with 18:05 left. For the next several minutes, the pace of the game echoed the first half, with the teams trading buckets and neither side gaining a definitive edge. Bethel was able to gain a five-point lead with 14:07 left after a three-pointer by Nick Bonner (6'0''-PG) and a free throw by Jaylon Scott (6'5''-G), but then the Eagles went on a 7-2 run to tie the game at 52 with just under 13 minutes to go. The momentum shifted back Bethel's way following a 10-2 run, with the Threshers leading 62-54 with a little over eight minutes left. A 14-6 run by Oklahoma Wesleyan tied the game 68-68 with 3:24 remaining. The teams traded baskets after that, leading to a result that would be determined within the final minute. Bethel took a 71-69 lead with 1:06 left, but neither team was able to sink a basket after that until Brooks Haddock drained a three-pointer with five seconds left to give the Eagles a 72-71 lead. With less than a second left, however, Clifford Byrd II was fouled, sending him to the line with a chance to win the game from the free-throw line. Byrd sunk both free throws, and the Threshers hung on to secure the victory.
STATS Clifford Byrd II II led the Threshers and the game in scoring with 16 points, while also pulling down six rebounds. KCAC Player of the Year Jaylon Scott had a double-double, scoring 14 points for Bethel and securing 11 rebounds. The Threshers were able to shoot better than the Eagles from the field (46.3% to 34.3%) and from three-point range (44% to 28.57%), but only shot 54.5% from the free throw line as a team. Oklahoma Wesleyan was led in scoring by Janson Lietzke, scoring 15 points on 6-9 shooting. Valentin Van Putten was a force on the boards for the Eagles, pulling down 15 rebounds, the most of any player on either team. The Eagles shot relatively well from the line, shooting 76.1% on free throws. Oklahoma Wesleyan won the rebounding battle between the two teams, pulling down six more rebounds than the Threshers (44 to 38).
Player of the Year: Jaylon Scott (6'5''-G) of Bethel Defensive Player of the Year: Jaylon Scott (6'5''-G) of Bethel Freshman of the Year: Steele Gaston-Chapman (6'1''-G) of Southwestern Newcomer of the Year: Perry Carroll (5'11''-PG) of Ottawa Coach of the Year: Jayson Artaz of Bethel
No. 1 seed Bethel College defeated No. 2 seed Oklahoma Wesleyan University 73-72 in a nail-biter on Monday night to win the 2021 KCAC Men's Basketball Postseason Championship. The Threshers jumped out to a 35-30 lead in the first half, but the Eagles powered back in the second half and nearly earned the victory.
Artaz
