Bartlesville, OK-

In a tightly contested matchup, OKWU fell short with a 61-58 loss against Bethel at the Mueller Sports Center. The Eagles held a slim 22-21 lead at halftime, but Bethel surged in the second half, outscoring OKWU 40-36 to seal the win. 

Humberto Kentish Jr. led the Eagles with 17 points, including two clutch three-pointers, while Temaje Izuagbe added 11 points and nine rebounds. Nick Bene chipped in 10 points and five boards for the Eagles. Despite shooting just 36.1% from the field and 20.8% from beyond the arc, OKWU stayed competitive thanks to strong bench contributions and 34 points in the paint. 

Bethel countered with balanced scoring and a second-half shooting surge, hitting 55.2% of their shots after the break. The game featured three lead changes and two ties, with Bethel's largest lead reaching 10 points midway through the second half. Oklahoma Wesleyan fought back late, cutting the deficit to two in the final seconds, but Bethel held firm at the free-throw line to secure the win. 

The Eagles, 10-2 overall, 6-1 in conference play, will look to bounce back in their next conference matchup as they aim to maintain their strong start to the season. They will face off against Bethany College on January 3rd, at 3:00 PM in Kansas to start off the new year. Go Eagles!