The seventh-ranked Tabor College men pulled off another close victory Wednesday, defeating Bethany, 72-70, to improve to 14-0 in KCAC play.
The Bluejays relinquished a 19-point lead in the second half, but won on a last-second shot by D?Marco Smith.
Tabor held the advantage from the start and gained distance with a 9-2 run to lead, 20-12, after Jonathan Gibson scored midway through the first half. The teams traded scores for more than five minutes. Tabor took its first double-digit lead when Lance Carter made two free throws and John Jedneak made a two-pointer. The first half ended with Tabor in front, 37-29.
Carter cashed in two traditional three-point plays to aid an 8-0 Bluejay swing that put Tabor in front, 47-31. Carter later contributed seven points to a 12-4 run capped by a Kyle Baker three that gave the Bluejays their largest lead of the night, 63-44, with 11:23 to play.
After that, Tabor went cold. The Bluejays made just three field goals in the final 10 minutes. Tullio Parry scored at the 9:52 mark and Alan Urrutia added a basket with 7:04 to play, making it 67-54, but then Tabor went seven minutes without a basket. Carter accounted for all three of Tabor?s points at the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, the Swedes outscored Tabor 16-3 to tie the game at 70 with 58 seconds left.
Tabor?s next basket missed its mark, but Gibson grabbed the rebound, and Smith, after running time off the clock, drove to the basket and scored the game-winner with 2 seconds left.
?Defense wins basketball games,? coach Micah Ratzlaff said. ?If we wouldn?t have played defense tonight, we probably would?ve lost by 15.
?(We) executed and guarded all night long, but you?ve got to make layups.?
Tabor shot 40 percent from the field in the game (28-70), including 37 percent in the second half (13-35).
Carter led all scorers with 20 points. Davaghndre Jones added 11, and Gibson 10.
Coming?Tabor (14-0, 21-3) will play at Oklahoma Wesleyan (6-9, 11-13)?Thursday at 8 p.m. The Bluejays will travel to McPherson (3-12, 7-18) Saturday for a 7 p.m. game.
