MISHAWAKA, Ind. —The Bethel Women’s Basketball Team (12-5, 3-4) showcased their highest scoring performance (79-59) against the Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars (5-12, 1-6) on Saturday afternoon in the Gates Gymnasium.
Previously, the Pilots’ biggest win over the Cougars took place on Feb. 1, 2012, in which Bethel triumphed 63-45 at home to win by 18 points.
Mariah Claywell led the Pilots’ offense with 28 points scored for a career best performance, shooting 10-15 (66.6%) from the field.
Olivia Nickerson led the team from three, making four out of ten shots from beyond the arc.
Isabel Scales (13) and Jazmyn Smith (11) added double digits while Freshman Izzy Nooe led the team in total boards with eight (4-4).
The fourth quarter proved pivotal for the Pilots (24), who shot more than double the points of Mount Vernon (10).
Upon entering the fourth, the Cougars posted back to back layups as Bethel led by two (55-53).
The Pilots then showcased an incredible twelve point run, concluding with a triple by Olivia Nickerson (5:18) to push their lead to 14 (67-53).
Mariah Claywell and Isabel Scales each went 2-2 at the line, while Claywell recorded the final steal and score for the Pilots (2:43).
Head Coach Scott Polsgrove wrote, “Proud of my team for a tough, hard fought victory. While we struggled on the defensive end, we played a great last eight minutes on both sides of the ball.”
With the victory, Bethel improves to sixth in the Crossroads League, tied with Indiana Wesleyan’s 3-4 conference record.
The Pilots will next compete against the Grace College Lancers on Wed, Jan. 14 at the Manahan OCC. Tip-off is set for 5:30 PM.