SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University men's basketball team dropped a 70-50 decision at No. 7 Bethel College on Saturday inside Gates Gymnasium at the Wiekamp Athletics Center.
The Cougars slipped to 11-13 (2-10 CL) on the season while the Pilots remained in second place in the Crossroads League standings with a 21-3 (9-3 CL) record.
It was a back-and-forth battle through the first 16 minutes of the opening half. The two teams traded the lead five different times and no team led by more than six. With the score tied 25-25, junior Greg Hamilton buried a three-pointer to put the Cougars in front with 5:56 left in the period.
The Spring Arbor offense would go ice cold over the final minutes of the stanza, however, allowing the Pilots to grab a 37-28 advantage heading into the locker rooms.
In the second half, Bethel opened with a barrage of three's to quickly extend its lead to double digits, and put the game out of reach for the Cougars.
Spring Arbor finished the afternoon shooting 38 percent (18-for-48) from the field while the Pilots – one of the nation's top shooting and scoring teams – connected on 52 percent (24-for-46) of their attempts. The home squad also held a slight edge on the glass, ripping down 29 rebounds compared to SAU's 27.
Hamilton paced the team with 13 points while sophomore Caleb Hogans followed with 11 points and four assists. Freshman Zach Medendorp added 10 points to go along with a game-high nine rebounds – matching his season-high – and two blocks.
Spring Arbor will visit No. 18 Grace College (18-6, 8-4 Crossroads League) before returning home to host Taylor University on Feb. 7 and the University of Saint Francis (Ind.) on Feb. 10.
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