Spring Arbor, Mich. – The Bethel College Pilots men’s basketball team responded to Saturday’s disappointing loss with a defensive battle against Spring Arbor, defeating the No. 13 Cougars.
GAME VITALS
- Score: Bethel def. Spring Arbor 63-62
- Records: Bethel (16-3, 5-2) | Spring Arbor (16-3, 4-3)
- NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll: Bethel – No. 11 | Spring Arbor – No. 13
- Location: SAU Fieldhouse | Spring Arbor University | Spring Arbor, Mich.
STAT TRACKER
- Gage Ott: 10 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast
- Trey’von Covington: 13 pts, 4 reb
- Paul Forman: 10 pts, 5 reb
- Tanner Shepherd: 16 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- The Pilots notch their 12th straight win against Spring Arbor.
- The Pilots outscored the Cougars 13-3 in 2nd chance points.
- The Pilots were outrebounded for the second straight game, after outrebounding opponents in their first 17 games this season.
- Gage Ott finished with his second double-double of the season.
- Tanner Shepherd scored in double figures for the sixth time in seven games, with a team-high 16 points.
- Ryan Lutz hit a pull-up 15-footer with 11 seconds remaining to give the Pilots a 62-59 lead and after a Gage Ott rebound on the ensuing possession, knocked one-of-two free throws down to ice the game. A Paul Marandet half-court buzzer beater provided the final 63-62 margin.
FROM COACH LIGHTFOOT
- “It was a boxing match tonight and we were lucky enough to take enough punches to stay in the fight. SAU got off to a quick start against us but our guys stayed resilient. It was good to see us stay engaged on the defensive side of the floor when we weren’t hitting shots. Now we have to reset and refocus as we prepare for an MVNU team that’s playing with a lot of well-deserved confidence right now.”
NEXT TIME OUT
- The Pilots return home for a matchup against Mt. Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) for a Saturday afternoon men’s and women’s doubleheader, scheduled for a 3 pm tip-off. It is a ‘Hoops and Hot Dogs’ event for Bethel College. You can register for a free meal in the Dining Commons at 1:30 pm by visiting www.bethelcollege.edu/hoopsdogs.
The Pilots compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. The Bethel College Athletic Department earned the NAIA Champion of Character Five-Star Gold Institution and produced 17 NAIA Scholar-Teams last season. While accumulating 3 NAIA National Championships and 32 NCCAA National Championships by 10 different athletic teams, Bethel has also produced 143 NAIA All-American honors and 309 NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors over the past decade.
Bethel College is an accredited Christian college offering associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in more than 70 areas of study.
Connect with Bethel Athletics online at BethelCollegePilots.com or via Facebook (Facebook.com/BethelPilots), Twitter and Instagram (@BethelPilots). #BuiltByBethel
| FINAL | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel (Ind.) 16-3, 5-2 CL | 38 | 25 | 63 |
| Spring Arbor (Mich.) 16-3, 4-3 CL | 35 | 27 | 62 |
| Jan. 9, 2018 | |||
| Spring Arbor, MI | |||
| Attendance: 250 | |||
| BETHEL (IND.) | INDV. LEADERS | SPRING ARBOR (MICH.) |
|---|---|---|
| #24 Tanner Shepherd – 16 | Points | #11 Paul Marandet – 26 |
| #42 Gage Ott – 10 | Rebounds | #30 Jeff Beckman – 16 |
| #42 Gage Ott – 4 | Assists | #4 Tommy Hamilton – 5 |
| BETHEL (IND.) | TEAM STATISTICS | SPRING ARBOR (MICH.) |
|---|---|---|
| 36.7% (22 – 60) | Field Goals % | 37.9% (22 – 58) |
| 25% (5 – 20) | 3 Point Field Goals % | 26.1% (6 – 23) |
| 66.7% (14 – 21) | Free Throws | 63.2% (12 – 19) |
| 40 | Rebounds | 43 |
| 12 | Assists | 15 |
| 11 | Turnovers | 13 |
| 13 | 2nd Chance Pts | 3 |