Bethel improves to 5-0 in Crossroads League with 81-69 win at Mount Vernon Nazarene

Al Peciulis puts up double-double in first win of 2025

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — The junior forward from London, Alonas Peciulis, ended the day with his second double-double of the season for the Bethel Pilots (12-3, 5-0) in an 81-69 win over the Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars (9-6, 1-4) in Ariel Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Peciulis scored 21 points, eight shy of his season-high 29, with a team-leading 10 rebounds and 7-11 shooting from the field, which is his 13th game with 10+ points and fourth time scoring 20+ this season.

Trent Edwards dropped 10 points with an efficient 3-5 from the floor and 4-4 from the charity stripe, with Austin Cripe ending the day with 10 points, 3-4 from the field, 2-3 from three-point range, and 2-2 from the free-throw line.

Bethel’s three-point defense shined, keeping the Cougars down to only five made threes and 21% from beyond the arch, including holding them to only one made triple in the first half. The Pilot defense started solid, holding MVNU to only 29% from the floor as a team in the first half (9-31).

BU dominated off the glass with a team 46 rebounds to MVNU’s 27 for the game, taking advantage of 21 second-chance points.

In the opening minutes, Bethel stormed to a three-possession lead 16-8 at 12:46 in the first half with Cripe’s triple.

In about a minute, Mount Vernon brought the game to 16-13 from two unanswered possessions, including a layup at 12:18 and a triple at 11:01.

James Anderson hit a fast break layup at 6:53 to bring the Pilots back to a nine-point, 26-17 advantage before Andrew Hedrick dropped a three at 4:09 left in the first half to grow the lead to 32-19.

Luke McBride got the final word in the first half with a jumper at 47 seconds left and went into halftime up 40-26.

It did not take long for BU to hit the 20-point advantage mark, with Peciulis netting two free-throws at 15:22, for the largest lead of the game.

MVNU battled to chip the Pilot lead to 75-66 at 1:19 to go in regulation off a triple, but the Cougar comeback would fall short, and Bethel would win 81-69.

Bethel evened the all-time series to 9-9 in Ariel Arena and 22-16 overall since their first meeting on Feb. 1, 1972, where the Cougars won 104-89 in Mount Vernon.

Next for the Pilots is the 106th meeting with the Marian Knights on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the Gates Gymnasium.