KANSAS CITY, Kan. --- The No. 14 Bethel Pilots faced a smart defense in the No. 2 LSU-Alexandria Generals in the Round of 16, which came down to Preston Phillips hitting a clutch three at the regulation buzzer to force the first overtime game of the 2025 NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament.
Phillips hit a career-high 28 points on 10-18 shooting from the floor and 2-6 from deep (two of the Pilots five made triples) and seven rebounds.
James Anderson went 5-7 from the field and dropped 12 points, Alonas Peciulis had a double-double with 11 points (5-11 FG) and 10 boards, and Beau Jacquay had 12 points, 4-9 FG, and nine rebounds.
The Pilots were held to 5-19 from three-point range (26.3%), but both teams were held to 42% from the floor in a highly defensive battle.
LSU-A read the Pilot passing well and jumped to an early 6-2 advantage before Phillips got to the charity stripe and sunk both, followed by a Peciulis layup at 16:09 to tie the game 6-6.
Ike Umeh helped keep pace with the Generals with a bucket in the paint at 11:50, 14-14, but Anderson completed the three-point-play to take a one-point lead, 17-16.
The Generals hit a triple at 5:43 and a jumper at 4:54 for the first two-possession lead of the game, 29-24.
In the final minute of the first half, the Generals hit a stride and went into halftime 39-31.
LSU-A peaked their lead at 12 points in the second half with a layup at 18:10, but Bethel answered back with a Peciulis layup at 18:04, Phillips layup at 17:30, and a split pair at the line by Luke McBride at 16:50 in consecutive possessions to cut the Pilot deficit to 43-36.
Beau Jacquay hit a three-point play at 13:35 to bring the Pilots back to a one-possession difference, 47-44, then Peciulis hit a jumper at 12:38 to get Bethel within one point, 47-46.
Bethel soared to a seven-point advantage, 55-48, from Peciulis' jumper, then Anderson's layup at 5:50 increased the lead to nine points, 62-53.
In the final three seconds, LSU-A led 69-66 after making both free throws at the line, and Phillips shook his man at NBA range, jumped, and nailed a three to send the game to overtime.
Luke McBride kept the Pilots alive in overtime with a jumper with 1:48 to go, and the back-and-forth ensued until a missed pair at the line and the Generals answered with four made free throws and won 83-78.
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