Wildcats Fall to Langston in First Round of NAIA Championships
LANGSTON, OK -The Bethel Wildcats saw their season come to a close Friday night falling 73-65 to the Langston Lions in the first round of the 2026 NAIA Men's Basketball First Round presented by Ballogy.
The 13 seeded Wildcats trailed 31-24 at the half. The 4th seeded Lions withstood several second half rallies by the Wildcats to win by eight.
Bethel shot 40 percent from the floor and were 4-of-11 from long distance. The Cats hit 17-of-21 free throw attempts.
The Cats had a 35-29 advantage in rebounds.
Langston shot 40 percent from the field, but the hometown Lions knocked down 10 three-pointers and hit 22-of-33 free throws. In the very physical affair Bethel committed 18 turnovers.
Langston had a 17-9 margin in bench points.
Senior D J Starr closed out his Bethel career with a career high 30 points. Ethan Turner followed with 15 points.
Orlando Thomas led the Lions with 22 points. Trey Clarke had 15 points.
It was Bethel's first appearance in the Big Dance since 2019. The Cats finished 19-13 on the season.
The Lions moved to 25-7 and 15-1 at home on the year. The Lions are 63-3 at home in the last four years.
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