The first half was evenly contested until the Eagles closed the half with an 18-4 spurt to carry a double-digit lead into halftime. A lay-up from junior guard Marcus Adams gave the Bison a 16-15 lead with 7:27 left but a lay-in from Juniata center Chris Jasiota gave the hosts the lead and ignited the 14-point run to close the half. Jasiota would score six during the blitz, which sent the Eagles into halftime with a 33-20 advantage.
The 20 points posted by the Bison were their lowest of the season, as the Green and White shot a frigid 23 percent (8-35) from the floor, which included hitting just 4-of-20 three-point attempts (20 percent). The Eagles, who were paced by Aaron Chamberlain’s eight markers, countered by shooting 43 percent (13-30) from the field in the opening stanza.
Juniata still held a 13-point lead two minutes into the second half when the Bison made their run. A pair of three-pointers by freshman forward Ryan Besancon were sandwiched around a trey from junior guard Brody Jackson and when senior forward James Wallace completed 12-2 run with a conventional three-point play, the Bison had trimmed the Eagle lead to 39-36 with 14:50 to play.
The Bison stayed within striking distance over the next seven minutes and trailed by just five at 52-47 following a pair of free throws from Wallace with 7:17 to go. However, Juniata responded with back-to-back jumpers from Brent Ferko and then consecutive baskets by Brian Cannon in a 10-0 run that swelled their lead back to double digits at 62-47 with 3:34 showing on the clock. Bethany would only get within single digits again once on a triple from Jackson with 55 seconds to play to make it 66-58, but the Eagles secured their spot in the ECAC semifinals with a lay-up and four foul shots in the final minute.
After the dismal first half shooting performance, BC rebounded to shoot 47 percent (14-30) in the second half. The Eagles were able to maintain their advantage by knocking down 48 percent (14-29) in the final 20 minutes and also holding a 39-34 advantage on the glass.
In his final game as a Bison, Wallace scored a team-high 14 points to finish with 962 for his career. He and senior guard Chris Stephens, who had eight points and six assists, leave as the winningest four-year class in Bethany history with an 84-27 career record. Stephens also finished with the Bethany record for career games played (111) and fourth in school history with 396 assists.
Rounding out Bethany’s double digit scorers was Jackson, who totaled 13 points, five rebounds and three steals, and Besancon, who notched 11 markers and seven boards.
The balanced Eagles offense featured five scorers with double figures, led by Ferko and Chamberlain with 16 each. Cannon had 13 points and nine rebounds, while Kyle Opitz delivered 12 off the bench and Jasiota amassed 10 points and nine rebounds in the win, which gives Juniata the second most victories in a single-season.
Despite the loss, the Bison’s 19 wins is just the fifth time in school history they have won at least that many games and their three straight postseason appearances is also a school record.
Bethany College (W.V.) vs Juniata College 2/28/07 7:00 at Huntingdon, PA (Memorial Gym) At Huntingdon, PA (Memorial Gym) JUNIATA COLLEGE 72, BETHANY COLLEGE (W.V.) 62 BETHANY COLLEGE (W.V.) (19-9) James Wallace 5-11 4-9 14; Brody Jackson 5-12 0-0 13; Ryan Besancon 4-8 0-0 11; Chris Stephens 2-10 4-4 8; Joe Testa 3-7 0-0 8; Marcus Adams 3-9 0-0 6; Marc Palermo 0-6 2-2 2; Nate Stoner 0-2 0-0 0; Bill Grant 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-65 10-15 62. JUNIATA COLLEGE (17-11) Aaron Chamberlain 5-12 5-5 16; Brent Ferko 7-14 0-0 16; Brian Cannon 6-11 1-2 13; Kyle Opitz 3-5 6-7 12; Chris Jasiota 4-9 2-2 10; Dave Thompson 1-1 0-0 3; Neil Holloway 1-4 0-0 2; Nick Hager 0-2 0-0 0; Eric Mueseler 0-1 0-0 0; Jeff Berkey 0-0 0-0 0; Sean McConnell 0-0 0-0 0; Garrett Bull 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-59 14-16 72. Bethany College (W.V.)........ 20 42 - 62 Juniata College............... 33 39 - 72 3-point goals-Bethany College (W.V.) 8-31 (Brody Jackson 3-9; Ryan Besancon 3-5; Joe Testa 2-3; Marc Palermo 0-4; Nate Stoner 0-2; Marcus Adams 0-1; Chris Stephens 0-5; James Wallace 0-2), Juniata College 4-9 (Brent Ferko 2-3; Dave Thompson 1-1; Aaron Chamberlain 1-3; Nick Hager 0-1; Eric Mueseler 0-1). Fouled out--Bethany College (W.V.)-None, Juniata College-None. Rebounds-Bethany College (W.V.) 34 (Ryan Besancon 7), Juniata College 39 (Chris Jasiota 9; Brian Cannon 9). Assists-Bethany College (W.V.) 14 (Chris Stephens 6), Juniata College 9 (Kyle Opitz 4; Chris Jasiota 4). Total fouls-Bethany College (W.V.) 19, Juniata College 18. A-855 Juniata advances to semifinals of ECAC South Region Tournament