GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The pilots took the court for the 43rd meeting between the Pilots and the Golden Eagles, where Bethel fell 80-73 in Mol Arena.
Bethel jumped to an 8-4 opening run, with senior Nyla Asad accounting for four of the eight points. Cornerstone tied the game 8-8 at 5:10 in the first quarter, then took the lead after a turnover, which led to a layup the other way in the next possession.
It was a two-possession game until 6:14 in the second quarter on a layup. CU peaked their first-half lead at 13 points with 3:01 to go in the first half and went into halftime down by six points, 37-31.
The junior, Abby Williams, tied the game at 7:04, 37-37, in the third quarter by splitting a pair of free throws, but the Golden Eagles jumped back to a four-point lead, 41-37, after two straight possessions. After falling back to a double-digit deficit, Williams kept the Pilots trailing by 10 points on a buzzer-beater layup.
In the final minute, junior Faith Davis drained a three with 22 seconds left in regulation, and then Asad laid up the final bucket to leave Mol Arena with an 80-73 loss.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Bethel has yet to win in Mol Arena since Dec. 15, 2007, where the Pilots took a 75-68 victory.
Asad has tallied eight 10+ point games since Nov. 18, 2023, against IU-South Bend.
Abby Williams was one point shy of her season-high 13 points set against Indiana Wesleyan on Dec. 2.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Pilots return to Crossroads League play against the Saint Francis (Ind.) Cougars on Wednesday, Jan. 3, at 5:30 p.m. in the Hutzell Athletic Center, with a home matchup on Saturday, Jan. 6, against the Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars at 1 p.m.