Tigers eliminated in MSC Quarterfinals

The old college basketball addage is that it is difficult to beat a team 3 times in one season. Georgetown handled Bethel twice in the regular season. Saturday's MSC Quarterfinal was a much different story. The Tigers got off to a slow start and never recovered in their worst loss of the season, 84-58.

Georgetown only had 2 leads in the game and both came in the first 5:21 of the game. A layup from Trinity Klock gave the Tigers their last lead at 7-5. Bethel ended the quarter on a 14-4 run to take a 19-11 lead after 1. As was the case most of the day, Georgetown struggled to put the ball in the basket. The Tigers missed 11 of 16 shots in the quarter and all 4 free throw attempts to go with 5 turnovers.

Bethel extended its lead to 10 at 23-13 early in the 2nd. Georgetown got back-to-back baskets from Trinity Klock to get back within 6. Teionni McDaniel later brought Georgetown within 5 at 31-26 with 2:55 to play in the quarter. Bethel then scored 11 of 15 to take a 42-30 lead before Sophie Smith hit a last-second 3 to cut Bethel's lead to 42-33 at halftime.

The teams traded threes to start the 3rd. After a Sophie Smith block, AJ Stevenson scored inside to bring Georgetown within 7 at 45-38 with 8:51 to play. Bethel scored the next 5 for a 12-point lead. The mini-run marked the last time Georgetown was within single digits of the Wildcats in the game. Free throws from Trinity Klock with 5:55 to go cut the Bethel lead to 54-44. From there, Georgetown scored just 5 points the rest of the quarter as Bethel continued to pull away, taking a 65-49 lead to the 4th.

The 4th quarter proved one to forget for Georgetown. AJ Stevenson free throws with 8:44 to go were the only points the Tigers scored until the 1:03 mark. In that time, Bethel scored 11 straight for an 82-51 lead. 2 late baskets from Teionni McDaniel and a 3 from Abby Varney were all the Tigers could muster in a 3-14 shooting quarter to close out a tough day.

The Tigers had no answer for Bethel's Micah Hart and Madison Hart as the pair combined for 55 points, including 6-11 from beyond the arc. Bethel's 3-point shooting was on display as the Wildcats made 13 of 28, while Georgetown went just 5-20 from 3-point range. Teionni McDaniel led Georgetown with 16 points. Trinity Klock tallied 14 off the bench.

With the MSC Tournament over, Georgetown now waits for Thursday when the NAIA announces the 64-team national tournament field.