Oskaloosa, Iowa. --- The Bethel University Men's Basketball team was unable to keep their winning streak alive, losing in a high scoring shootout to a strong NAIA #7 William Penn team 118-98.
The Pilots led by as many as 5 points with 2:01 remaining in the first half, but a 7-0 run by the Statesmen quickly gave them the lead and eventually the hosts owned a 47-45 advantage by halftime. The second half was a close affair for the first 5 minutes, but William Penn began to pull away as the Pilots, overcome by foul trouble and turnovers, were unable to keep up with the torrid scoring pace set by the home team.
Bethel shot better from the floor (50.8% to 49.4%) and out-rebounded William Penn (42-41) but the big difference on the night was 19 turnovers for the Pilots, compared to just 7 for the Statesmen, leading to 16 more points. William Penn also canned 13 three-pointers to just 7 for the visitors from Mishawaka.
Despite the loss,
Nathan Aerts (23) and Drew Lutz (22) still had standout games with a combined 45 points on the night. Tanguy Touze added 15,
Brandon Hunt chipped in 14, and Chikara Tanaka added 10 in support.
The Pilots record falls to 5-1 on the season as they begin conference play on Saturday in Fort Wayne, IN at the University of Saint Francis.
NEXT TIME OUT
- The Pilots will travel to Fort Wayne to take on Saint Francis (Ind.) on Nov. 19th at 3:00 p.m.
For the latest information on each of Bethel University's 31 intercollegiate athletic teams, visit
BUPilots.com or follow the Pilots on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @BUPilots or on YouTube at /BethelSportsNetwork.
