Eagles Upset Top-Seeded Bethany, 78-59, In ECAC Semifinals

By: Laura Chapman
Assistant Sports Information Director
chapmal@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
Photo: Jennifer Jones 

BETHANY, W. Va. – The fourth seeded Juniata College men's basketball team continued to roll through the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Southwest tournament, defeating top-seeded Bethany College, 78-59, and earning a spot in tomorrow's championship game. Four different Juniata players finished in double-digit points with senior Brian Scholly (State College, Pa./State College) leading the way with 18. Seniors Lucas Mellott (Warfordsburg, Pa./Southern Fulton) and Jeremy Hays (McMechen, W. Va./John Marshall) both finished with double-doubles as Mellott scored 12 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, and Hays had a team second-best 15 points and a game-high 11 assists.

Juniata started off fast and after four minutes of play the Eagles led by five at 10-5 after senior Pat Cassidy (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) converted a three-point play with a layup and a foul shot. Senior Dimitri Ross (Petersburg, Va./Appomattox Regional Governor's School) fed a tight pass inside to Mellott who finished off with a layup for the 17-11 Eagle lead. Ross then followed up with a monster three from the wing for the 20-11 Juniata advantage with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

At the eight minute mark first year Nate Ogle (Falls Church, Va./George Mason) grabbed and athletic rebound before taking a pass from senior Kevin Stapleton (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) and draining a three for the 23-16 Eagle advantage. Stapleton then drained his own trey off the assist from Hays to stretch the Juniata lead to ten with just over six minutes of action remaining. Stapleton was the fourth Juniata player in double digits with 13 points on the night and rounded out his solid performance with five rebounds and four assists.

The Bison started to come back in the closing five minutes of the half, but Hays stopped the momentum, nailing a three on a dish outside from Stapleton for the 31-20 lead. Scholly tacked on another three for the Eagles followed by a steal and a layup from Hays and Juniata had 36-22 halftime advantage.

Bethany opened the second 20 minutes in a full-court press and cut Juniata's lead to 38-29 in the first three minutes of play. At the Bethany end of the court, Mellott snatched a steal and fed the ball to Hays who drew two Bethany defenders before sending a pass across the court to Scholly for the open three and the 43-29 Eagle advantage. As a team, Juniata had 14 steals on the night. In a full-court press press of its own, Juniata sophomore Justin Fleming (Doswell, Va./ Benedictine College Prep.) leapt up for the steal and fed a pass into Hays for the easy fast-break layup.

Minutes later, standing over five feet from the three-point line, Scholly made a great move around a Bethany defender and drained the trey with no time left on the shot clock to increase the Juniata lead to 20 at 63-43. The Eagles worked the ball inside to Stapleton, but Bethany's big man inside was there so Stapleton kicked the ball back out and, after three quick passes, Hays threaded the ball into Mellott on the cross court run for the easy layup inside and the 70-47 lead.

The final minutes ran down and Juniata earned the upset win over No. 1 seed Bethany 78-59. The Eagles will face the winner of the second semifinal game between No. 2 Hood College and No. 3 Waynesburg University in the ECAC Southwest tournament finals tomorrow, March 9, at 2 p.m.

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