The Bevill State men's basketball team fell short this past week losing two close conference games against Lawson State and Wallace State-Hanceville.

Lawson State 60 Bevill State 56

       Bevill State fell to the Lawson State Cougars 60-56 on Mon., Jan. 26, in Fayette. The Bears began the first half with an impressive effort on defense holding a 34-23 lead going into the half.

      However, the second half would not prove to be as beneficial for Bevill State as the Cougars came out the second half with an added level of intensity. Lawson State outscored the Bears 14-2 over the first seven minutes of the second half taking a 37-36 lead with 13 minutes to play. Struggles at the free throw line would prove to be the deciding factor as the Bears would finish the night going 5-of-14 from the line.

      Bevill State had opportunities late in the game to force overtime; however, a missed lay-up by Bo Amusa with 20 seconds left would end the Bears’ hopes.

      The Bears played the second half with two starters on the bench nursing injuries. The team’s leading scorer Darrell Hicks missed the game due to a bone bruise suffered in the game against Bevill-Jasper. Also missing the second half was Anthony Sims who fell to the floor while attempting to gather an offensive rebound.

      A leading scorer on the night for Bevill State was Lee Riley, who finished with 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting.  Also in double figures was Joe Lastrape and Dontae Amos who had 12 and 11 points, respectively.

      The loss drops the Bears record to 10-8 overall and 2-3 in conference play.

Wallace Hanceville 57 Bevill State 52

      Bevill State returned to action on Thurs., Jan. 29, night against conference rival Wallace-Hanceville.  The Bears held the lead for the majority of the second half before falling 57-52 in the closing minutes.

      The Lions entered the game with an impressive 17-3 record and a second place standing in the North Division of the Alabama Community College Conference.

      The first half would be defined by stingy defense on the part of Bevill State holding Wallace to 22 points in the first half. The tremendous defensive performance could not overcome the cold shooting for the Bears as Wallace held a 22-18 lead at the break. The Bears finished the first half shooting 6-for-22 from the field.

      Bevill State would dominate the first 13 minutes of the second half outscoring the Lions 30-17 and claiming a 48-39 lead with 6:39 left to play. Wallace would make crucial plays down the stretch led by Brandon Moore scoring six of his game high 14 points in the last six minutes. Down by two with just over a minute to play, Lions sharp shooter Jasen Jonus hit a three from the left wing to give Wallace a 53-52 lead. The Bears had a chance to tie with under 20 seconds and down by three, but a perimeter shot by Darrell Hicks would rim out giving Wallace the hard fought win.

      Bo Amusa led the Bears with 13 points on the night. Freshman Gavin Mitchell contributed a career high 12 points while making his first career start for the Bears.

      The loss drops the Bears to 10-9 overall and 2-5 in conference.  The next home game for the Bears is scheduled for Thurs., Feb. 5.