SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Spring Arbor University dropped a close one to No. 11 Bethel College on Tuesday night inside the SAU Fieldhouse by a score of 63-62, snapping the No. 16 ranked Cougars' seven-game winning streak.

Spring Arbor, in spite of suffering one of its worst shooting performances of the season, trailed by just three in the final minute, and had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds, but a three-point attempt by Ben Geschke came up empty.

THE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: #13 Spring Arbor 62, #11 Bethel 63

LOCATION: SAU Fieldhouse | Spring Arbor, Mich.

RECORDS: Spring Arbor 16-3 (4-3 CL), Bethel 16-3 (5-2 CL)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Zach Medendorp got the game started with a three-pointer and would score the first six points for Spring Arbor. However, early foul trouble forced him to the bench.
• The Cougars struggled from the field throughout much of the first half, especially from behind the arc, going just 2-for-13 from three-point range. Paul Marandet, the two-time reigning Crossroads League Player of the Week, helped keep SAU in the game though scoring 17 first half points.
• With the score tied 26-26, Bethel used a 10-2 run to grab its largest lead of the game, but Spring Arbor responded with seven straight points, capped by a triple from Drew Zuidema. The Cougars went into halftime down 38-35.
• Spring Arbor regained the lead early in the second half as Zuidema highlighted another SAU run with a three-pointer to put the Cougars on top 45-43 at the 16:11 mark.
• The Cougars defense held one of the top scoring teams in the league in check in the second half, limiting Bethel to just 25 points and 32 percent shooting from the field. The Pilots did enough on the defensive end too, however, to keep themselves in the game.
• The visitors led by three, 60-57, with 1:55 to go before a bucket from Medendorp closed the gap to one. The Cougar defense came up with two huge stops, but was unable to capitalize and find the go-ahead score on the offensive end.

FOR THE COUGARS

• Marandet finished 26 points – his fourth straight game with at least 20 – while Medendorp added 12 points.
• Jeff Beckman scored seven points and hauled in a career-high 17 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. Brandon Durnell finished with seven points and nine boards off the bench. Tommy Hamilton handed out a team-high five assists and posted two steals.
• Spring Arbor was held to below 40 percent shooting for just the second time this season, hitting just 38 percent (22-for-58) of its field goal attempts, including 6-for-23 from the three-point line. The Cougars, who also rank as one of the league's top free throw shooting teams, had their struggles from the charity stripe going 12-for-19.
• Spring Arbor limited Bethel, one of the nation's top offensive teams, to its second-lowest scoring total of the season.
• SAU held a 43-40 edge in rebounding.

FOR THE PILOTS

• Four Bethel players scored in double figures, including Tanner Shepherd, who posted a team-high 16 points. Gage Ott recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
• The Pilots, who entered the game shooting 50 percent from the field on the season, were held in check, connecting on just 37 percent (22-for-60) of their shots with a dreadful 5-for-20 mark from long range.
• Bethel took advantage of second chance opportunities, outscoring the Cougars on second-chance points 13-3.

UP NEXT

Spring Arbor will play its next two games away from home beginning with a trip to Grace College (7-12, 0-7 CL) on Saturday, Jan. 13. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.

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