By Dustin Semore
FHU Sports Information Director
A desperation 3-pointer from the hosting Bethel (Tenn.) University Wildcats forced overtime in Saturday’s matinee contest against the No. 14 Freed-Hardeman University Lions. After both squads posted 14 points in overtime, a second was necessary, where the Lions had two players foul out to see the Lions lose their fourth game in five tries with a 95-88 final score.
Brandon Thomas got the ball rolling for the FHU Lions (17-7, 13-5 MSC), hitting a pair of jumpers to spark a 9-2 run for the guests from Henderson. JaQuan Lax and Hunter Scurlock added points in the paint during that run while JJ Wheat tallied a free throw. A strong push by the Bethel Wildcats in the paint first saw BU tie affairs with a set of free throws before a layup would give the Wildcats a four-point advantage with 8:37 remaining in the first half. Freed-Hardeman’s defense clamped down, not allowing another Bethel point to fall in the half, forcing the Wildcats to end the first half on an 0-6 spell from the field. Taking advantage, the Lions would put up 15 unanswered points – first with five Lions collecting points in the paint before Peyton Law’s 3-pointer put an exclamation park on the end of the half to see FHU lead 32-21.
The Bethel Wildcats (13-10, 9-9 MSC) used small bursts of offense to sneak up on the Lions. First, a 7-0 run to start the frame pulled the hosts within single digits. Law and Thomas would connect for layups to keep the Wildcats at bay before a 9-0 run saw the Lions watch their lead shrink to one possession: leading 43-41 with 12:21 left in regulation. Timely free-throw shooting from the Wildcats eventually began a brand new ballgame at 49-49 with 8:47 remaining. Across the next nine minutes, FHU and BU would trade blows, with neither team leading by more than two possessions. With the game knotted up at 65-65 with 15 ticks on the clock, the Lions hoped that Law’s 3-point jumper would see the Lions escape with a win, but a half-court pass was followed by a 3-pointer from Tyler Neely to end regulation tied 68-68.
The final nine minutes of the game proved to be a premonition of how the first overtime period would be. FHU saw their largest lead of the extra frame move to four after Wheat’s layup put FHU ahead 77-73. Free throw shooting from Bethel would again keep the Wildcats in the game before a layup with seven seconds left in overtime knotted affairs at 82-82 to prove that 45 minutes was not enough to determine a victor. With a shortened bench made even shorter with two fouling out, the Wildcats would spend the second overtime period hitting seven free throws, while holding FHU scoreless in the final 2:36 to end the game after two overtimes 95-88.
The Bethel Wildcats bucketed 39 points off the bench to FHU’s six bench points.
Brandon Thomas deposited a season-high 25 points in the loss, while Hunter Scurlock recorded a double-double with 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Peyton Law was 7-13 from the floor to lead to 18 points, while JJ Wheat collected 16 points.
Up next – The Lions will look for success across the Ohio River when they travel to Wilberforce (Ohio) University on Thursday, February 9, tipping off against the Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m.
