MISHAWAKA, Ind. —The No. 19 Bethel Pilots (23-6, 12-6) defeated the Taylor University Trojans (19-10, 11-7) 84-73 on Wednesday evening in the Gates Gymnasium for the Crossroads League Quarterfinal win
Colin Comer led the Pilots with 18 pts, shooting 54% from three (6-11).
Alonas Peciulis showcased a double-double with 11 points and 13 boards (3-10).
Luke McBride (14) and Beau Jacquay (13) each added double digits.
In the opening half, Colin Comer sank a triple for the first Bethel basket of the night (3-3, 18:34). Comer would tie it up again at 9-9 with another shot beyond the arc, assisted by Al Peciulis (16:31).
The Pilots soon saw their first lead with a layup by Peciulis (11-9, 16:03), thanks to a steal by Austin Cripe.
Beau Jaquay showcased back-to-back dunks mid-quarter (12:37, 18-14) before Cripe splashed a three for a double-digit Pilot lead (3:03, 37-27).
To conclude the first, Peciulis sank both shots at the charity stripe to put the Pilots up 42-31 at the half.
The Trojans’ offense responded well in the second, matching the Pilots’ 42 points while capitalizing on ten out of 19 attempted free throws.
The Pilots, however, outshot Taylor 46 to 33 percent from downtown. Luke McBride and Colin Comer each showcased three shots beyond the arc as Bethel earned its first home court win over Taylor this season.
Head Coach Steve Drabyn shared, “This was a great win for our program! This is now three games in a row where we’ve been really good defensively…It was great to see Colin Comer not only make shots, but give great effort on the defensive end and rebounding. We had great contributions from Jameir Jefferson, Beau Jacquay, and Al Peciulis…I thought Andrew Hedrick and Luke McBride gave us some great minutes as well. Now it’s time to get ready to go play a really good Grace team on the road and see what we can do!”
The Pilots will face rival No. 2 Grace College at the Manahan OCC in the Crossroads League Semifinal on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tip-off is set for 1 PM.