No. 22 Bethel men get defensive in win over Andrews

Mishawaka, Ind. – The Bethel College Pilots men’s basketball team hosted Andrews in their final non-conference home game of the season and took care of business at Gates Gymnasium.

GAME VITALS

• Score:  Bethel def. Andrews 78-53
• Records:  Bethel (6-0) | Andrews (3-4)
• NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll: Bethel – No. 22 | Andrews – not rated
• Location: Wiekamp Athletic Center Center | Bethel College | Mishawaka, Ind.

STAT TRACKER

• Gage Ott: 18 pts, 8-9 fg, 4 reb
• Kyle Hartman: 2 pts, 11 asts, 1 to, 5 stl
• Trey’von Covington: 16 pts, 2-5 3-fg
• Paul Forman: 12 pts, 6-7 ft, 10 reb

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• The Pilots opened the second half on a 13-4 run to take a double-digit lead for the first time at 44-32 with 14:28 remaining
• The Pilots tallied a season-high 17 steals and outscored the Cardinals 28-5 in points off turnovers.
• Kyle Hartman dished out a career-high 11 assists, the sixth-straight game with at least five helpers to open his Pilot career—the best start by a Pilot in program history.
• The Pilots have now won 25 consecutive non-conference games at home, dating back to Oct. 30, 2012—the program’s longest streak ever in Gates Gymnasium and the longest streak at home since winning 48 straight non-conference games from Dec. 15, 1992 to Nov. 3, 2000.

COACH LIGHTFOOT SAYS

• “It wasn’t pretty but it got the job done. We didn’t shoot the ball well, playing against the zone they tried taking away our inside touches. Thought we struggled out of the gates but once the guys got going we responded in the second half. But right now we have guys that are out of shape and need to continue to work themselves into shape—everything is gearing up towards Tuesday. We’ve got to play much better this weekend or we’re going to get beat twice.”

NEXT TIME OUT

• The Pilots hit the road this weekend for their final test before conference play begins Thanksgiving week, as they travel to La Crosse, Wisconsin to play in the Viterbo University Tournament. They’ll face off against Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) on Friday at 6pm ET and then either get Brescia (Ky.) or host Viterbo (Wis.) on Saturday.