SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – A 13-1 run late in the second half by the Cougars helped fend off an upset attempt by visiting Bethel College as No. 8 ranked Spring Arbor University picked up a 78-68 victory Saturday afternoon at the McDonald Athletic Center.
The game-deciding run was fueled by two three-pointers from Luke Barber, sandwiched around a Paul Marandet old-fashioned three-point play.
The win improved Spring Arbor to 17-3 overall and 7-1 in the Crossroads League, keeping SAU alone at the top of the league standings. The Cougars also improved to a perfect 9-0 at home.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: No. 8 Spring Arbor 78, No. 16 Bethel 68
LOCATION: McDonald Athletic Center | Spring Arbor, Mich.
RECORDS: Spring Arbor 17-3 (7-1 CL), Bethel 15-5 (4-4 CL)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Spring Arbor raced out to an 8-0 lead to begin the game, and led by as many as nine, 21-12, in the first half.
- The 16th ranked Pilots battled back to get within two, 23-21, at the 6:07 mark, but would go into halftime trailing 33-27.
- The two nationally ranked teams went back-and-forth throughout the second half with the lead changing hands six times.
- The turning point came over a two-minute stretch during the final four minutes of the game. After a pair of free throws from Brandon Durnell put Spring Arbor in front at the 3:41 mark, the Cougar defense came up with a series of three big stops and capitalized on the offensive end. Barber sank two huge three-pointers while Marandet also converted an and-one opportunity. Tom Hamilton capped the offensive outburst with a layup, pushing the margin to 11, 70-59, with 1:39 remaining.
- Bethel closed the gap to six with less than a minute to go, but Jeff Beckman helped put the game away at the free throw line going 3-for-4 at the stripe down the stretch.
FOR THE COUGARS
- All five starters scored in double figures. Durnell finished with 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting with six rebounds and two blocks while Marandet tallied 20 points, six assists and five rebounds.
- Beckman recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Hamilton and Barber also registered 11 points apiece.
- Spring Arbor connected on 50 percent (27-for-54) of its field goal attempts, but was limited to just 5-for-20 from behind the three-point line.
- The Cougars made the most of their trips to the free throw line going 19-for-22 from the charity stripe.
- SAU dominated Bethel on the glass, 41-27.
FOR THE PILOTS
- Bethel was led by Trevion Crews and Paul Forman. Crews posted 28 points while Forman had 25.
- The Pilots shot 44 percent (27-for-62) from the field and were 8-for-15 at the free throw line.
UP NEXT
Spring Arbor travels to the University of Saint Francis (12-8, 5-3 CL) on Tuesday, Jan. 15.
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