Tartans Win on Road Versus Bethany

Stats

Dec. 6 - (BETHANY, W.Va.) – Sophomore Ryan Einwag’s (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) 29 points and seven rebounds lead the Tartans to a 78-77 win at Bethany College on Wednesday evening. The Tartans held the lead down the stretch despite a threatening comeback by the Bison for their fifth win of the season.

The Tartans (5-2) used a 10-0 spurt to take a 12-5 lead in the first four minutes to gain a lead they wouldn’t lose until the 8:19 mark when Bethany’s Jason McKeegan hit two free throws to give the Bison (4-3) a 21-20 lead. The deficit was brief however, as junior Geoff Kozak (Huntingdon, Pa.) hit a three-pointer less than a minute later to end the Tartans five-minute scoring drought and re-establish the lead.

Carnegie Mellon used 10 points off nine Bethany first half turnovers and held a 43-37 halftime lead. Sophomore guard Corey O’Rourke (Merion, Pa./St. Joe Prep) stole an inbounds pass for a quick lay-up and a possession later hit a three-pointer after Bethany’s Joe Testa hit a trey to fire up the Bison.

Although the rebound difference at the half was only one, Bethany had 10 offensive rebounds that led to 11 second chance points.

Bethany stormed back in the second half tying the game at 51-51 on a three-pointer by James Wallace and taking their second lead of the game on a lay-up by Testa six minutes into the half. Carnegie Mellon would take the lead for good at the 12:52 mark on the first of two consecutive treys by Einwag, which made the score 59-54.

The teams would exchange baskets over the next seven minutes before Bethany strung together six fast break points to cut their deficit to two points with 4:13 to go. With 2:25 to go, Ryan Besancon nailed a three from the top of the key, but Einwag followed with his third trey of the game to give the Tartans a six-point cushion with two minutes to play.

Continuing the exciting end-of-game play was Bethany’s Brody Jackson. Jackson hit a three before Besancon blocked a three-point attempt by freshman Jack Anderson (Beaver Falls, Pa.), which led to a lay-up by Marcus Adams to bring the Bison within one-point and .48 seconds to play.

The Tartans escaped with the win when a lay-up attempt for the Bison wouldn’t go down. Anderson grabbed the rebound in the scramble as time expired.

Kozak finished the game with 17 points for the Tartans, while O’Rourke totaled nine assists.

Bethany had five players score in double digits with Testa leading the way with 18 points. Jackson followed with 13 and Wallace, Besancon and Marc Palermo each had 10 apiece. Adams had a game-high 10 rebounds to go with four assists.