MISHAWAKA, Ind. – Paul Marandet scored 25 points and Tommy Hamilton added 21, but in the end, the No. 22 ranked Spring Arbor University men's basketball team fell short 81-80 at No. 16 Bethel College on Tuesday night.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: #22 Spring Arbor 80, #16 Bethel 81
LOCATION: Wiekamp Athletic Center | Mishawaka, Ind.
RECORDS: Spring Arbor 19-8 (7-8 CL), Bethel 20-7 (9-6 CL)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A back-and-forth affair between two Top 25 ranked teams, that featured 21 lead changes, came down to the final minute. A pair of clutch free throws from Marandet put Spring Arbor up one with 34 seconds to play.
- Following a timeout, Bethel's Paul Forman scored on a layup to put the home team back on top with 19 seconds left on the clock. The Cougars had one last chance, but a jumper from Marandet was off the mark.
- Neither team led by more than until the last seven minutes of the game when SAU rattled off a 14-4 run, fueled by seven points from Marandet. After a pair of free throws from Brandon Durnell, the Cougars led by 10, 71-61, with 6:07 remaining.
- Bethel responded with an 11-0 run of its own to erase the double-digit deficit and regain the lead at the 3:13 mark.
- The win gave the Pilots the season sweep of the Cougars, winning both games by one point after defeating SAU 63-62 in Spring Arbor on Jan. 9.
FOR THE COUGARS
- Marandet went 8-for-18 from the field and 8-for-9 from the charity stripe. He added seven assists and two steals to his game-high 25 points.
- Hamilton finished with 21 points going 8-for-12 and knocking down four three-pointers.
- Zach Medendorp had 14 points and six rebounds while Durnell chipped in eight points off the bench.
- Spring Arbor shot 53 percent (30-for-57) on the night, including going 9-for-17 from three-point range. The Cougars were also 11-for-12 from the free throw line.
- SAU forced Bethel into 15 turnovers and converted those takeaways into 22 points.
FOR THE PILOTS
- Forman scored 24 points, including the game-winning basket. Gage Ott added 15 points and seven boards.
- Bethel shot 70 percent (16-for-23) from the floor in the second half and finished the evening shooting 58 percent (28-for-48).
- The Pilots dominated the glass with a 30-19 edge in rebounding.
UP NEXT
Spring Arbor welcomes Grace College (10-17, 3-12 CL) for Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 10 starting at 3 p.m.
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