Spring Arbor, Mich. — The Bethel University Women’s Basketball team was unable to come up with a win vs. Spring Arbor University Wednesday night, falling to the Cougars 65-52.
Mariah Claywell started hot hitting two early shots and a Katie Kinker bucket gave the Pilots an early 6-5 lead with five minutes drained from the clock in the first quarter. A back and forth second quarter riddled with turnovers from both teams kept the game close with the Pilots taking the lead into half with a Kinker free throw in the closing seconds, 24-22.
Right out of the gate in the second half, the Cougars went on a 13-0 run that put the Pilots behind 37-28, caused by turnovers and missed opportunities. The streak ended with a jump shot from Ellia Foster and a bucket from Kinker in the paint.
Down by 15 in the fourth quarter put the Pilots in a tough situation as SAU kept hitting shots, protected the ball, and made free throws to hang on for the win.
Senior Katie Kinker led the Pilots in points with 18 while also recording three steals and four rebounds. Maiah Shelton went 2-4 from the three-point line and had a total of nine points on the night, along with one block and eight rebounds.
The Pilots now have an overall record of 6-15 and a CL record of 2-10.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- The Pilots shot 55.6% from beyond the three-point line, going 10-18.
- Bethel had 10 points of turnovers and 16 points from the bench.
NEXT TIME OUT
Bethel will travel to Huntington University on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 1:00 p.m.