Box Score POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. ---The Bethel Pilots (25-9, 12-6) earned an 86-83 victory over the Ohio Christian Trailblazers (27-5) on Thursday afternoon at the NCCAA National Tournament. 

Luke McBride totaled 24 points for the Pilot offense, shooting 61.5 percent from the field (8-13) and 44 percent from three (4-9). 

Colin Comer posted 22 points, leading the team beyond the arc (6-8, 75%). 

Austin Cripe (16) and Beau Jacquuay (14) rounded out the double digit lineup, with Jacquay leading the Pilots in assists with five. 

The NCCAA shared the following highlights: 

In a back-and-forth affair that saw 26 combined makes from three, #1 Bethel University knocked off #5 Ohio Christian University in consolation action.

• The scoring was early and often for both sides, as a DJ Bogay three was answered by a triple from Luke McBride. Landon Brewer added another make from downtown for the Trailblazers, before a jumper from Beau Jacquay put Bethel ahead 14-11. Bethel began to pull away, as Colin Comer added another make from downtown for the Pilots, and three straight makes from beyond the arc by Austin Cripe had Bethel ahead 32-22 with 7:45 left in the opening stanza.
• A layup and three-ball from Comer swelled the Bethel advantage to 40-29, but Ohio Christian responded with a make from Sammy Detweiler and a pair of shots from Caleb Schmelzer. McBride ended the first half with a buzzer beating putback, and Bethel went into the halftime break up 42-35.
• Ohio Christian responded in the second half with back-to-back threes from Parker Penrod and Detweiler. DJ Bogay added to the scoring, and it was Penrod again connecting from deep, hitting back-to-back threes to put OCU on top 49-47. Penrod connected on two straight layups to keep the Trailblazers ahead, but a McBride three-ball and a layup pushed the Pilots back in front 61-59 halfway through the final frame.
• Both sides traded buckets and the lead for a bit, as Penrod answered Comer from downtown, before another McBride make from deep pushed Bethel ahead 71-68 with 6:00 remaining in the game. Penrod tied the contest with another make from deep, before McBride responded to tie the contest 77-77 with 2:57 left. A tough and-one conversion from Jacquay gave Bethel the three point lead, and after a triple from Schmelzer, McBride nailed two free throws for the Pilots to give Bethel the 86-83 lead with seven seconds remaining. Penrod got a clean look to tie the game, but the shot rimmed out and Bethel held on for the 86-83 win.

Head Coach Steve Drabyn shared, "Wow, what a game! I am so proud of our guys! It took everything we had to pull that out. After two tough losses in a row in true road national tourney games, this shows a lot about the toughness and resilience of our guys." He continued, "I thought our trio of guards: Colin Comer, Austin Cripe, and Luke McBride played with confidence and shot the ball well...Beau Jacquay and Jameir Jefferson played well inside. We look forward to finishing it well tomorrow."

The Bethel Pilots will look for their next victory tomorrow over the No. 6 Seeded Clinton College Bears (18-8, 4-1) to earn the fifth place title. Tip-off is set for 6 PM EST / 5 PM CDT. 

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