Henderson, Tenn. --- On Tuesday, the Bethel Pilots (17-14, 9-9) fell to the Dordt (IA) Defenders 101-92 at Freed-Hardeman's Brewer Sports Center. Drew Lutz had a career night with a 40-point double-double with 10 assists.

The Pilots kept a tight game in the opening minutes of the first half, with Brandon Hunt throwing down a dunk at 16:21 and tied the game at 11-11 at 15:50 with a tip-in.

The tides turned at the media timeout, where the Pilot offense went cold, and Bethel would go into half-time with a 53-38 deficit.

Hunt did not miss a shot in the first half, going 5 for 5 from the floor and 2-2 from deep. Alonas Peciulis was aggressive on the offensive boards in the first half with three rebounds and slipped into the baseline to score 10 points.

Drew Lutz brought the Pilots within eight points at 7:42 in the second half with a layup which was the third straight possession Lutz scored in to get to 80-72.

Lutz scored 14 straight points for the Pilots, starting at 8:27 to 2:22 in the second half but would ultimately be knocked out of the NAIA National tournament 101-92.

Lutz tied Bethel legend Eric Brand with 40 points and added his fourth double-double to his resume this season.

Alonas Peciulis was the most aggressive Pilot on the floor off the boards with eight rebounds, and five of those were offensive boards, one rebound away from tieing his career record of six rebounds in a game. Peciulis scored a career-high 20 points on 60 percent shooting (9 for 15).

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• Bethel scored 19 points off second-chance points and had 29 rebounds.
• About half of Bethel's points were in the paint (52).
• The Pilots bench scored 20 of the 92 points scored by Bethel.

NEXT TIME OUT

Bethel awaits their first matchup in the NCCAA National Championship, and the Pilots were awarded an at-large bid. The tournament starts on Mar. 15 at the Manahan OCC in Winona Lake, Ind., which is the home of the Grace College Lancers.

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 YouTube at /BethelSportsNetwork.