MISHAWAKA, Ind. — The Lady Pilots (7-8, 1-5) struggled to defend their home court from the No. 15 Marian University Knights (13-3, 6-0), resulting in a 35-76 loss on a snowy Wednesday night.
Freshmen Olivia Nickerson shot 2-9 from the floor in a total of eight points for the night and three rebounds, and Isabel Scales tallied six points, shooting 1-1 from the floor and 4-5 from the charity stripe.
Gracie Lambes ended the night with five points on 2-5 shooting and 1-3 from deep with a team-leading seven rebounds.
At 9:13, Nickerson’s three-point shot provided the Pilots with an early 3-2 lead against the Knights. The Knights pressed back with a fifteen-point run to jump to a 17-3 advantage at 2:42 left in the first, which Lambes halted with a layup in the paint in the next possession, 17-5 MU.
In the second quarter, Faith Davis put the first Bethel points of the quarter on the board with her three-pointer at 5:49, 28-10.
Freshman Isabel Scales sunk both at the line at 8:24, with fellow Freshman Justyce Williams splitting a pair at the line at 4:16, putting the game at 19-55.
In the fourth quarter, the Pilots began to find the net for 12 points to improve their pace, but it would not be enough as Bethel fell 76-35.
The Pilots continue the Crossroads League season on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 1:00 p.m. in the Manahan OCC, where the Pilots will face the Grace Lancers.