Pilots falter on senior night vs upstart USF

MISHAWAKA, Ind. – The Bethel College Pilots’ men’s basketball team found themselves in a 21-6 hole in the game’s first six minutes and could not recover, losing on Senior Day 86-79 against visiting Saint Francis (Ind.). The Pilots used a 12-1 run over a three-minute stretch to close to within four points with 49 seconds left but left some opportunities at the rim in the loss.

GAME VITALS

• Game Score: Saint Francis def. Bethel 86-79
• Records: Bethel (20-9, 9-8) | Saint Francis (15-14, 8-9)
• NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll: Bethel – No. 17 | Saint Francis – not rated
• Location: Wiekamp Athletic Center | Bethel College | Mishawaka, Ind.

STAT TRACKER

• Trevion Crews – 21 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast
• Trey’von Covington – 19 pts, 3 reb, 5-11 3-pt
• Paul Forman – 15 pts, 4 reb, 5-6 ft
• Ryan Lutz – 10 pts, 4 reb, 2-5 3-pt
• Kyle Hartman – 8 pts, 6 ast, 3 reb

NEWS AND NOTES

• The Pilots allowed a season-high 63.0-percent from the field by an opponent.
• With a loss at Huntington on Saturday and a Saint Francis win against Mount Vernon Nazarene on Saturday, the Pilots would fall to the 6-seed in the Crossroads League tournament quarterfinals. With a win against Huntington or a Saint Francis loss to Mount Vernon Nazarene, the Pilots would retain the 5-seed and travel to either Marian or Mount Vernon Nazarene for the quarterfinal round.
• Trevion Crews recorded his 18^th career game with at least 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

UP NEXT

• The Pilots play their regular season finale on the road at Huntington on Saturday at 3 pm.