Cats and No. 17 Tigers Set to Tangle in Georgetown
GEORGETOWN, Ky. –The Bethel Wildcats hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Georgetown, Kentucky Thursday to meet the Georgetown Tigers. Tip-off in the Commonwealth is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.
Bethel is 5-1 overall and 1-1 in the MSC. The Tigers are 7-1 and 1-1. GC is 5-0 at home on the season.
It will be the 10th meeting between the two programs with Georgetown leading the series 6-3.
The Tigers were ranked No. 17 in the NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll released this week.
Last Time Out:
Bethel
The Wildcats used a sizzling first half from the floor shooting 59 percent in their 80-61 victory over the Williams Baptist Eagles Saturday afternoon in Crisp Arena. The Wildcats moved to 5-1 on the season. WBU suffered their second straight loss and dropped to 5-2. The contest marked the 150th game the Wildcats have played in Crisp Arena. Bethel is 115-35 in the building.
The Wildcats knocked down seven of their nine threes in the first 20 minutes and led at the break 52-25. The Cat defense held WBU to just 32 percent from the field in the half.
Bethel would finish 27-of-60 from the floor at 45 percent. The Eagles were 26-of-72 at 36 percent. The Wildcats won the battle of the boards at 44-26. They held the Eagles who entered the game as the 2nd best offensive rebounding team in the nation to 11 on the night. Bethel never trailed in the contest.
Four Wildcats finished in double figures. Jamarius Mayberry had a double -double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Hayden Thomas had four three pointers and finished with 13 points. Jon Brown scored 10 and collected seven boards. Kamron Rose came off the Wildcats bench and was solid with 10 points and nine rebounds. Twelve different Wildcats scored in the game.
WBU's Shackeel Butters had a game high with 22 points.
Coach Jeff Britt said, "We got off to a great start behind the shooting of Hayden and Jamarius. They both have good strokes and are valuable to our success. We knew coming in we would have to play well because WBU is a good team. They are a good rebounding squad, so it was big we won the battle of the glass. Our bench contributed again, and we need that night in night out." Britt added, "We have a couple of days to prepare for as always a tough MSC road trip against two tough opponents."
GC:
Dante Adams had an authoritative dunk with 59 seconds left to be the cherry on top of Georgetown College men's basketball's 155-109 win over Greenville University. GC had six players in double figures. Three career-highs set. An eye popping 56 assists on 65 field goals and a player a rebound shy of a triple-double.
The No. 16 Tigers improve to 7-1 picking up two more non-conference wins before getting into conference again Thursday.
Drew LaMont, getting a start in place of the injured Kyran Jones, posted a career-high in Orange & Black with a game-high 39 points. The other career-highs went to Michael Turay (32) and Jayrese Williams (21). Derrin Boyd had 17 points and Seth Johnson chipped in 14.
Boyd dished out 10 assists and had nine rebounds, while Jaquay Wales and Johnson had nine assists each.
Cat Scratches:
Brown leads the Cats in scoring averaging 15.3 points per game. Drew Thomas is second in scoring at 12.0 per outing. Jamarius Mayberry averages 11.5 points per contest. Mayberry also leads Bethel in rebounding pulling down almost 10 per outing. Kameron Rose is good for 10.0 tallies per game
The Cats average 81.2 and yield 64.3 points per game. The Cats outrebound their opponents 41-28 per game.
Tiger Tails:
Six Tigers average in double figures, led by Derrin Boyd who pops in 19.8 points per game. The Tigers have scored 100 points or more four times this season. GC averages 97.3 and yield 74.8 points per game.
The Walker Watch:
After the WBU game, Bethel senior guard Jarred Walker has 368 career assists which is 12th in program history. Jarred has 187 steals which is 6th in the Wildcat record book.
Jon Brown adds to Career Total:
After scoring 10 points versus Williams Baptist, Bethel's Jon Brown has 1, 070 career points.
Cats in Crisp:
The WBU game marked the 150th game the Wildcats have played in Crisp Arena. Bethel is 115-35 in the building.
Coach Britt Closing in on # 500
Jeff Britt is in his 22nd year as the head men's basketball coach at Bethel University and his 33rd year as a college basketball coach. His record as a head coach is 486-330 and includes 11 seasons with 20-plus wins. Britt is 380 -287 at Bethel.
Coach Chris Briggs is in his 11th season as head coach of the Tigers. He is 272-70 with GC. Briggs has led the program to two national titles (2013, 2019).
Media coverage & Links:
Video stream:
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/georgetown/
Stat link:
https://naiastats.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/boxscores/20211202_bhje.xml