NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — The Bethel College men's basketball team continued its strong start to the season on Saturday afternoon, defeating Avila 88–75 inside Thresher Gym to improve to 11–3 overall and 6–2 in KCAC play.

The Threshers were locked in a tight battle early, taking a narrow 39–38 lead into halftime, before turning up the intensity on both ends of the floor in the second half. Bethel shot over 60 percent from the field after the break, and forced 11 2nd half turnovers.

Trenton Patterson delivered a standout performance off the bench, pouring in 34 points on 11-of-13 shooting, including 8-of-9 from three-point range. Patterson ignited the crowd with multiple momentum-swinging baskets and took over during a key second-half stretch, scoring 21 points after halftime alone.

Carmelo Yakubu added 15 points and nine rebounds, while Albert Diarra chipped in 11 points and six boards. Dominick Harris contributed nine points and played a key role defensively as Bethel forced 17 Avila turnovers, turning them into 26 points.

Bethel finished the game shooting 53.3 percent from the floor and 44 percent from beyond the arc, while also winning the rebounding battle and outscoring Avila in the paint. The Threshers' depth was on full display, totaling 48 bench points in the win.

With conference play continuing, Bethel now turns its attention to a midweek matchup. The Threshers will host Kansas Wesleyan on Wednesday, January 7, with tipoff set for 8:00 PM inside Thresher Gym.