MISHAWAKA, Ind. — The Bethel Pilots (11-3, 4-0) remain undefeated in the Gates Gymnasium this season after outlasting the (RV) Cornerstone Golden Eagles 91-83 after Cornerstone stormed back into contention with a 56-point second half.
Austin Cripe went a perfect 4-4 from beyond the arc with a career-high 16 points and 6-10 (60%) from the floor.
Luke McBride led the Pilot offensive with 21 points from 6-20 shooting, 7-8 from the charity stripe, and seven boards.
James Anderson, in his third game this season, ended the night with 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting in the paint and three rebounds; Trent Edwards was the fourth Pilot to knock down double-digits with 11 points (5-for-8 FG) and four rebounds.
Bethel opened the game with a 10-4 run before the Golden Eagles hit a jumper at 16:41 and a three at 16:08 to bring the game to 10-7 Bethel.
Cripe hit a triple at 11:14 for an 11-point lead (20-9) and the Pilots got hot, storming to a 19-point, 32-13 lead off a jumper at 7:14.
Beau Jacquay split a pair at the line to hit the 20-point threshold at 4:51 and again at 3:54 from a layup from Cripe to answer a jumper at 4:33, 40-20. The Pilots went into halftime up 49-27.
Cornerstone began to chip away at the lead, getting down to an 11-point difference at 5:06 in the second half from a pair at the line, 75-64.
Cornerstone brought the game back to single digits at 3:13 from a triple and followed up with a layup at 2:37, 79-70, then McBride answered with a deep ball at 2:19, then a split pair at the charity stripe at 2:03 to resurrect the double-digit advantage 83-72.
Bethel defended their undefeated streak at home, ending the night with a 91-83 win to avenge their two losses in Florida.
The Pilots are now 7-0 at home and 7-3 against non-conference opponents this season.
The Crossroads League campaign resumes on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 3 p.m. in Ariel Arena in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The Pilots will face the Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars, who are tied for seventh in the conference standings at 1-3 with Indiana Wesleyan and Marian (Ind.).