MISHAWAKA, Ind. —The Bethel Pilots (1-0) handed the Holy Cross Saints (2-1) their first loss of the 2025 season (74-65) in the Gates Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.
Austin Cripe had his the third best game of his career for total points (18). Earlier this year, Cripe shot 20 points against Marian (Jan. 8) and 21 points against Indiana Wesleyan (Feb 1) in Marion, Ind.
Alonas Peciulis led the team in boards (13), just shy of his record for total rebounds in a single game (14), which he hit his freshman season against Geneva College (Mar. 16, 2023).
Beau Jacquay was the second highest scorer of the evening with 16 points, one steal, and seven total rebounds.
In the opening half, Alonas Peciulis put the Pilots on the board (19:47)with a layup in the paint (2-0).
At 7:39, Austin Cripe nailed a shot from downtown to give Bethel the largest lead of the game (five points), assisted by Jamier Jefferson (19-14).
Freshman Carter Kent furthered the Pilot lead with a layup at 4:16, assisted by Luke McBride (28-22).
With less than a minute left on the clock, Colin Comer sank a shot from deep to send the Pilots into the half up 35-28.
In the second half, both teams were comparable in every statistical category except for personal fouls. Holy Cross racked up 12 personal fouls compared to the Pillots’ eight.
Colin Comer showcased offensive consistency, carrying his first half success into the second. The senior guard jump started the Bethel baskets with a layup at 19:01 (37-31).
Jamier Jefferson went 1-2 at the charity stripe, before Holy Cross scored two to close out Bethel’s season opener 74-65.
Head Coach Steve Drabyn shared, “…Our guys came out ready to play, had good energy, and togetherness. We pride ourselves on playing hard, executing who we are on both ends of the floor, and playing the right way. Defensively, our numbers were really good and we reached a lot of our goals. We held them to below 45 percent from two, held them to 23 percent from three, forced 12 turnovers, and only put them on the line ten times.”
Drabyn continued, “…We missed many point blank lay-ups, only went 4-19 from 3, and didn’t convert our offensive rebounds enough. Beau Jacquay, Al Peciulis, Luke McBride, Colin Comer, and Austin Cripe gave us good production…happy our players found a way to grind out a tough win against a team that played very well.”
The Bethel Pilots will next compete at the Chick-Fil-A of Auburn Hills Classic, hosted by the Rochester Christian University Warriors. The Warriors stand at 2-0 following their victories over Kentucky Christian (97-87) and Michigan-Dearborn (86-71). Tipoff is set for 6 PM at the Garth Pleasant Arena.