Bethesda University women’s basketball endures 103-13 loss, wins admiration for grit

Yes, the score read 72-0 with a little more than 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. Yes, the Bethesda University women’s basketball team lost to Cal State Northridge 103-13 on the road Tuesday.

No, it didn’t dampen the school’s pride in the slightest.

That the Flames even took the floor was a minor miracle. A series of setbacks had reduced the private Christian school from the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) to just five available players against a Big West opponent.

They could have forfeited. Instead, they showed up, played and finished.

“It was showing integrity,” Bethesda coach Jamie Newman said. “Showing their character, not complaining, just fighting through it.”

The fact that they even got to five players was another small wonder.

A stomach virus wiped out a significant portion of the team, including the assistant coach. A torn ACL sidelined the captain. The night before, the Flames played at the University of San Diego. Junior guard Mary Gonzales, who also had the virus, attempted to play through it. She couldn’t finish. Bethesda ended up playing 5-on-4 in a 92-23 loss. Of the four players who remained on the floor, one had never played organized basketball before, according to Newman. Of the three who had, he considered only one to be a full-strength starter.

Yet the team from Anaheim, Calif., endured.

‘Heart you cannot teach’

Heading into Tuesday’s game, the prospect of forfeiting weighed heavily. But matchups against NCAA Division I programs like Northridge can come with financial incentives for smaller schools — anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000, Newman estimated. More importantly, forfeiting can carry fines up to $50,000.

The players, including Gonzales, refused to let the school face that penalty. So they took the floor and remained there for all 40 minutes, no matter how steep the score became.

“We would never force any of our student-athletes to play when they are hurt or unwell,” athletic director Leo Balayon wrote in a statement. “I personally told our head coach and one player, who was really under the weather, that we would never require her to play and that we appreciated her simply supporting the team. But when our players learned that the university could face significant penalties, they made the decision themselves to take the floor and represent Bethesda with honor.

“That is the kind of heart you cannot teach.”

Three players on the team are mothers, including senior guard ShyAnn Morreo, who Newman says became a mom within the last six months. She led the Flames with nine points.

Northridge has been on the flip side

It’s not uncommon for larger Division I schools to schedule nonconference games against lower-division opponents, using them as tune-ups before league play. These matchups can produce extremely lopsided results. Northridge head coach Angie Ned knows that reality well.

In 2024, USC All-Americans JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen beat Ned’s Matadors 124-39 at Galen Center.

Newman said Ned was gracious on Tuesday and expressed pride in the Bethesda players who suited up. A day after the Matadors recorded their largest margin of victory in program history, Ned declined an interview request for this story through a representative.

While blowouts of this magnitude aren’t unprecedented, Bethesda’s situation earned considerable virality. Barstool Sports posted the clip of Morreo scoring the Flames’ first points, coming on a 3-pointer with 4:22 remaining in the third quarter. As of Wednesday night, it had 1.7 million impressions to date.

Everyone craned their necks to get a look at the gaudy scoreboard. Newman understands why.

“There could have been 20 games that had similar scores to us last year,” Newman said. “We’re getting notoriety because it’s me on the bench.”

If the name Jamie Newman sounds familiar, it’s because he is the father of former internet sensation siblings Julian and Jaden Newman. Julian first went viral in 2012 after scoring 91 points in a middle school game and then playing varsity basketball for Downey Christian in the fifth grade. Standing just 4-foot-5, he became known for his handle and deep shooting range.

His highlight clips drew millions of views. He appeared on national talk shows “Steve Harvey,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “Good Morning America.” By age 12, the Tampa Bay Times called him “the most marketed 12-year-old basketball player in the world.”

Jaden became MaxPreps’ all-time career leader in 3-pointers and was the youngest to reach 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 career points. She once beat Stephen Curry in a 3-point contest at age 10 and vowed to become the first woman in the NBA.

Both later joined Jamie at Prodigy Prep, the program he built from scratch. The family also had a documentary series, “Hello Newmans.”

Julian eventually enrolled at Bethesda to “stay in shape,” according to Jamie, in case a professional opportunity came. Through Julian, the athletic director asked Jamie if he wanted to take over the women’s team.

Newman knew what building something from nothing required.

“I’ve always built up programs,” Jamie said. “I built nothing into a nationally known school … I know what it takes to get it done. I know it takes getting your butt kicked early on. But once you have a couple of years under your belt and people start coming, you start building the program.”

Northridge administered a stern loss to the Flames. But for Newman, it’s simply part of the climb. And given the circumstances, it’s a profound source of pride that five players took the court and fought anyway.

“To our women’s basketball team, you have our utmost respect, admiration, and pride,” Balayon wrote. “Thank you for representing Bethesda University with courage and grace.”

Bethesda’s next game is Monday at San Jose State.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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