In a battle of two of the Top 25 teams in the NAIA, the Bethel Threshers bested the OKWU Eagles in an exciting Thursday night matchup. Both teams shot 55% from the field in the game as the offenses ruled the day. Bethel overcame an early deficit to hand OKWU a 91-84 loss.

Recap:

• OKWU started strong in the games opening minutes, holding a 14-5 advantage with just over 14 minutes in the first half. The OKWU lead grew to 24-12 near the 10-minute mark in the half.
• Bethel rallied, however, going on a strong run late to grab a 41-39 lead with just under two minutes. After OKWU responded with a Lense Ramey 3 to retake the lead 42-41, Bethel went on a 5-0 run to end the half. They led 46-42 at halftime.
• The second half was a back and forth battle, with each team countering the other. Bethel held a 13-point lead with 14 minutes left in the game before a Valentin Van Putten 3-pointer cut the deficit to 10.
• Van Putten would cut the Bethel lead to 8 points with 8:30 to go in the game, and then he hit another with 7:14 to make it a 72-67 Bethel advantage.
• Later in the game, a Brandon Bird jumper made it 83-79 in Bethel's favor with 2:07 left. After a Bethel timeout, senior Jaylon Scott hit a 3-pointer, but OKWU immediately responded with another Van Putten 3.
• OKWU could never quite climb that hill, however, as Bethel held off the Eagle surge by shooting a strong percentage at the free throw line. By the game's final buzzer, they had extended the lead to 91-84 for the win.

Now the Numbers:

• The difference in the game came from beyond the arc, where Bethel shot an impressive 58%. The Eagles shot 46% themselves, making 11 3-pointers as the teams traded daggers throughout the second half.
• OKWU's bench contributed 34 points.
• The Threshers found themselves at the foul line 29 times compared to just 12 trips for the Eagles.
• Five Eagles scored in double figures: Van Putten (16), Bird (15), Derrick Talton Jr. (15), Ramey (11), and Austin Poling (10).
• Taylen Miller didn't score off the bench, but he did record 5 assists and 0 turnovers in a strong showing.

Up Next:

• OKWU travels to face Friends University on Saturday. The game is set to tip at 6 p.m.