Tigers Kansas City Bound With Win over No. 6 Seed Bethel

GEORGETOWN, Ky. – The No. 3-seeded Georgetown College men's basketball team (24-7) defeated No. 6-seeded Bethel University (24-8) 85-68 in the second round of the 2026 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championships to advance through to the Round of 16 Saturday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The first five minutes of play featured five lead changes as this one started off back-and-forth with both sides hitting some early shots. Georgetown's one-point lead at the opening media break turned into a two-point deficit by the next stoppage as some missed 3-point opportunities let Bethel back into the game. The Tigers got eight points apiece from both Bubba Leavall and Darien Lewis in the first half, but were trailing by one when the Pilots made a go-ahead layup with two seconds to go in the half.

A 7-0 run for the Tigers started off the second half strong as Georgetown improved in all facets of its offense in the second half. The Tigers hit 50% of their first-half shots and improved to 55% of their second-half tries. Additionally, they increased their 33% 3-point shooting to 50% and made more free throws in the final 20 minutes of action. Despite the Pilots pulling within just a single point at the 5:02 mark (64-63), the Tigers used an 11-1 run to finish things as Rashad Bishop's layup with just under two minutes to play put things all but out of reach.

THE TEAM 
Georgetown shot 52.6% from the field. The Tigers were 7-17 (41.2%) from deep and were 18-22 (81.8%) at the free-throw line. GC was outrebounded by BU, 36-35. The Tigers picked up 13 assists while creating five steals.

THE PLAYERS
* Isaiah Mason put up 17 points with 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
* Darien Lewis also added 17 points with five assists, and two rebounds.
* Bubba Leavell also finished with 17 points and pulled down one rebound.

UP NEXT
With the win, the Tigers punched their ticket to Kansas City, Missouri, and into the Round of 16 for the 45th time ever. Georgetown boasts 16 Fab Fours and three national championships, most recently winning it all in 2019.