WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Bethany Lutheran basketball team Tuesday afternoon competed in their first contest in the Steven Moore Sunshine Classic at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida and fell to Saint Joseph 78-64. With the loss the Vikings fall to 7-3 overall while the Blue Jays move to 8-2.

Stout defense from USJ to open the contest would push them out to an 11-2 lead through the first five minutes before a Xavier Patterson three would end the drought. The Blue Jays kept applying pressure though, pushing out to a double-digit lead of 25-15 with 9:10 to go.  

Still trailing by 10 with 4:40 to go, the Vikings would rattle off 10 straight points with time winding down in the half to even things at 33 apiece with 30 seconds to play. USJ would make the last possession count though, drilling a three pointer with time expiring to hold a three-point lead at the half.

The Blue Jays would get a spark to begin the second half, hitting back to back threes to open the frame before Vikings would whittle away at the nine point lead, slowly cutting it back to a one possession game at 46-43 with 14:51 to play. The two teams would then trade baskets on consecutive possessions before a Mason Ackley jumper followed by a steal and dunk from Ackley cut the lead to two points at 51-49. A Bethany free throw would trim the lead to one point before back to back buckets from USJ pushed their advantage back to five points.

After Teon Thomas would hit his second big three of the contests, the Blue Jays would respond with one of their own to keep their five point lead. Patterson then knocked down a triple followed by a Hunter Nielsen and-one to give the Vikings their first lead of the contest at 59-58. Unfortunately for the Vikings, USJ would score the next 10 points and hold a 68-59 lead with just over five minutes to go. Patterson would knock down a pair of free throws to end the drought and cut the deficit to seven but four straight points from the Blue Jays pushed their lead back to 11 and one they would hold onto for the win. 

Nielsen led the Vikings in this one as he posted 17 points to go along with seven rebounds. Patterson added 14 points to the effort and dished out a game-high seven assists, while Ackley had 12 points and five boards.

Bethany will be back in action tomorrow at 1 p.m. EST with their opponent to be determined.