INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. --- The Pilots held a three-point lead at halftime against the Marian Knights on Wednesday night but fell behind, being outscored 44-34 in the second half.
Drew Lutz was near a double-double with 28 points and eight rebounds while shooting 10-25 (40%) from the field and a perfect 6-6 at the charity stripe. Clay Hilliard scored 16 points and set a season-high four triples and six field goals over the Knights.
The Pilots traded buckets with the Knights at 13:36 in the first half with a layup by Preston Phillips to tie the game 15-15 with Gus Etchison nailing a jumper in the next possession, but Clay Hilliard sunk a triple to give the Pilots an 18-17 lead at 13:06.
Phillips completed the three-point play at 8:18 after he was fouled on a layup and growing the lead to eight points, 32-24.
Marian retook the lead at 13:51 on a mid-range jumper by Gavin Foe, with Phillips responding with a layup to retake the advantage 57-56.
The Knights quickly responded with three straight buckets with Dylan Moles' jumper, Jackson Ames' layup, then Josh Bryan's deep ball to gain a six-point lead, 63-57 at 11:31.
Hutchinson was fouled on a layup at 7:21 that fell in and went to the line to complete a three-point play that cushioned the Knights's lead at 10 points and never fell below a five-point advantage to eventually defend their home court with an 85-78 Knights win.
The Pilots drop to third place in the Crossroads League standings with a conference record of 4-2 after Indiana Wesleyan takes sole possession of second place at 5-1. Marian sits in the fourth game behind the Pilots at 3-3.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Pilots return to the Gates Gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 3 p.m. and host the #1 Grace Lancers, who are undefeated at 16-0 overall and 6-0 in Crossroads League play. The game will be featured on WHME 46 and the Regional Radio Sports Network on the Bethel Sports Network.
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.
