MISHAWAKA, Ind. – Bethel Men's Basketball opened their season on Tuesday night, dropping a heartbreaker to cross town rival IU-South Bend. The Pilots built a nine-point second-half lead but fell to the Titans 72-70, as the visitors closed the game on a 17-6 run over the final 5:45. Chris Hurt led Indiana South Bend with 17 points and four steals, while Caedmon Bontrager paced the Pilots with 16 points. Bethel out rebounded IU-South Bend 36-29 and shot 43.6 percent, but its 17 turnovers led to 23 Titan points.
QUICK FACTS
Location: Gates Gymnasium | Mishawaka, Ind.
Match Results: IU-South Bend def. Bethel 72-70
Records: Bethel - 0-1 | IUSB - 1-1
NAIA Top-25: BU - RV | IUSB - NR
GAME RECAP
FIRST HALF
- Bethel opened the game on a 5-0 run, with Bontrager scoring all five on two layups off Grubbs assists and a free throw to complete a three-point play.
- IU-South Bend tied it at 9-9 on Saxton Hoepker's three, but Jackson Ullom answered from deep and Bontrager added another three off a Wandy Munoz assist to push the Pilots ahead 17-13 with 13:18 left in the half.
- Indiana South Bend turned steals into fast-break points and ripped off a 7-0 run, sparked by Mark White Jr.'s fast-break layup off an Andrew Hedgepeth steal, to take a 20-17 lead with 10:08 to go.
- Bethel countered with a 6-0 run, with McBride's three tying it at 20-20 and Grubbs adding a fast-break layup and a free throw, then led 25-21 on a Shalikiani layup before Hurt's pair of fast-break layups tied it at 25-25.
- Reid Smith scored five points in five minutes off the bench, including a three and a steal-and-score, to help Bethel lead 32-28 with 3:23 left. Indiana South Bend went ahead 35-34 on a White fast-break layup with eight seconds remaining, but Grubbs hit a three at the buzzer, assisted by Smith, to give Bethel a 37-35 halftime lead.
SECOND HALF
- Grubbs scored Bethel's first four points of the half, a layup and two free throws, for a 41-35 lead. The Titans cut it to 41-39, but layups from Dylan Fey and Munoz pushed it to 45-39 with 14:57 left.
- Edwards, who did not play in the first half, gave Bethel a spark with a three off a McBride assist and a layup off a Grubbs assist within 37 seconds, stretching the lead to 52-44 with 12:06 remaining.
- IU-South Bend answered with a 7-0 run, with free throws from Andrew Soenksen and J'Siah Jefferson and a Hedgepeth three, to cut it to 52-51 with 9:56 left while Bethel went more than two minutes without a point.
- The Pilots responded with a 12-4 stretch, highlighted by Jameir Jefferson's layup and fast-break dunk, a McBride three and a Shalikiani layup, to build its largest lead of the game at 64-55 with 5:45 remaining.
- Bethel still led 69-63 after a Munoz layup with 2:30 left, but IUSB closed the game on a 17-6 run over the final 5:45, with Hurt scoring nine of those points. Dunn's fast-break layup after a Hurt steal tied it at 69-69 with 36 seconds left, Hurt's free throw made it 70-69, and CJ Hornbeak's two free throws with four seconds left made it 72-69. Ullom made one of two free throws with three seconds left, and his three-point try after an offensive rebound at the buzzer missed.
KEY PILOTS
- Caedmon Bontrager - 16 pts, 4-9 FG, 1-3 3PT, 7-9 FT, 2 blk
- Chris Grubbs - 12 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk
- Luke McBride - 8 pts, 2-5 3PT, 2 ast, 3 reb, 1 blk
NEXT UP
- The Pilots are on the road to face Aquinas at 7:30 PM on November 3rd.
- Live Stats can be found HERE.
- Live Video can be found HERE.
NEXT HOME GAME
- Bethel returns home on November 10th when they face SMWC at 7:00 PM.
- Live Stats can be found HERE.
- Live Video can be found HERE.
- Tickets can be found HERE.
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