Spring Arbor, Mich. — It was a disappointing night for the Bethel University Pilots as they fell behind by double digits early and never fully recovered, losing to Spring Arbor 70-60 in Crossroads League action.
The Pilots started slow, going down 8-0 in the first two minutes and it became an uphill battle from there as they struggled offensively (shooting just 25% from the floor in the opening half and being outrebounded by the Cougars 26-15. Spring Arbor’s lead would swell to as many as 21 points and the teams went to the intermission with the hosts leading 38-20.
In the second half, the Pilots came out swinging and chipped away at the deficit. Bethel closed the gap to 3 points (55-58) at the 3:32 mark on a Alonis Peciulis free-throw, but were unable to complete the comeback in the final minutes.
Drew Lutz and Tanguy Touze led the charge for the Pilots, both with 16 points on the night, while Nathan Aerts gained a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Pilots now have an overall record of 11-5 and are .500 in the Crossroads League with a 3-3 record.
NEXT TIME OUT
- MBB will be at home on Jan 7th taking on #25 Huntington University. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.