NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — Bethel honored five seniors prior to tip-off Saturday afternoon at Thresher Gym: Caryn Yoder, Farah Shehab, Narissa Blackwell, Celesta Teijema, and CJ Bundy.

The Threshers followed the ceremony with a commanding 78-61 win over York to close the regular season.

Bethel set the tone early, leading 19-13 after the first quarter and extending the margin to 40-25 at halftime. The Threshers pushed the lead to 60-37 after three quarters and never allowed York to make a serious run down the stretch.

Bethel shot 38.9 percent from the field and went 17-for-21 from the free throw line, an 81 percent clip. The Threshers dominated inside with 59 points in the paint, forced 25 York turnovers, and turned those into 23 points. Bethel also finished with 23 fast break points and held a 43-30 advantage on the glass.

Caryn Yoder led the seniors with 16 points and five rebounds. Farah Shehab added 12 points and four assists. Celesta Teijema knocked down a three-pointer and contributed three rebounds, while Narissa Blackwell added two rebounds and three assists.

Madyson McKinzie provided a major spark off the bench with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Kendall Locke recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Karlee Locke added 11 points and five assists.

With the victory, Bethel finishes the regular season 20-8 overall and 17-5 in conference play. This marks the 2nd time in school history that the Bethel Women have reached 20 wins. Last time being the 2018-19 season lead by now University of Nebraska Kearney coach, Drew Johnson. The Threshers end the year tied for second place with Friends and hold the tiebreaker, earning the No. 2 seed in the KCAC Tournament.

Bethel will host No. 7 seed Tabor on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM in the first round of the conference tournament. The matchup is a rematch of this past Wednesday's contest in Hillsboro, where Tabor defeated Bethel.

The Threshers now turn their focus to postseason play with a chance to advance on their home floor.