MISHAWAKA, Ind.–The No. 7 Bethel Pilots (19-5, 12-2) defeated the Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars (13-11, 5-9) 72-69 in the Gates Gymnasium on Saturday.
The Pilots went into the game tied with the Grace Lancers for first place in the conference standings (11-2) and Mount Vernon was tied for seventh with the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats (5-8).
Preston Philips recorded an impressive 16 points in the second half and 21 points overall. Trent Edwards posted 15 points, four rebounds, and five assists for the Pilots.
Beau Jacquay, Preston Phillips, and Trent Edwards each slammed dunks in the first half (13:24, 10:11, and 1:14, respectively). As the second half winded down, Beau Jacquay slammed home another dunk at 1:33.
In the early minutes, Bethel secured a six-point lead, initiated by James Anderson with a jumper at 19:32. Austin Cripe sank the first three-pointer of the game (16:22) to bring Bethel’s score 9-3.
The Cougars saw their first lead of the game at 10:51, and held it for over two minutes (8:40), as Ike Umeh nailed a layup to bring Bethel’s score 18-17.
Luke McBride re-tied the score 22-22 with a shot behind the arc (6:01). The Pilots maintained their lead for the remainder of the first half, finishing 31-29.
At the onset of the second half, the Cougars recorded a layup (19:46) to match Bethel’s score 31-31. Preston Phillips posted the first pilot layup of the game (18:42).
The Pilots controlled the game until 12:11 when the Cougars caught up 48-48 with a layup. James Anderson reclaimed the lead with a pair at the charity stripe (51-50) at 10:56.
Bethel retained control of the game for the remainder of the half, showcasing a six-point run from 10:56 to 8:46.
The Cougars narrowed the point deficit at 5:11 with a free throw, 60-58, with Bethel leading.
In the back-and-forth battle, the Pilots once again had a narrow lead over the Cougars with seventeen seconds left on the clock (70-69).
Luke McBride made both shots at the line to secure the Bethel win 72-69.
Bethel remains tied with the Grace Lancers 12-2 for first place in the conference standings, as the Lancers defeated the Goshen Maple Leafs 82-59 in the Ruth Gunden Gymnasium.
Bethel will travel to face the Marian University Knights on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the Physical Education Center. The Pilots are now 7-4 on the road and 9-2 on their home court.