SPRING ARBOR, MI – The Spring Arbor men's basketball team has been heating up at the right time, and on Wednesday night at American 1 Credit Union Arena, they had a huge opportunity to continue that hot streak with the 10th ranked, and Crossroads League-leading Bethel Pilots coming into town for Senior Night. 
 
The first half began with the Pilots quickly taking control, stretching their lead to 9 points with under 12 minutes to go. However, the Cougars would respond quickly, immediately going on a 12-2 run, led by two straight triples from Shane Rykse to take the lead 23-22 at the 8 minute mark. Bethel responded and took the lead right back, one they would hold for the rest of the period, taking a slim 4-point margin into the locker room, 41-37. Gabe Newhof and Travis Grayson carried the offensive load in the half for Spring Arbor, with Newhof leading the way with 14 points, and Grayson pouring in 12 points. 
 
Spring Arbor came out of the locker room with a vengeance, starting the half with a Newhof and-one bucket, which sparked an 11-2 run to give them a 5-point advantage, 48-43. Despite Bethel's best efforts, Spring Arbor continued to hold a lead throughout the rest of the half, getting some huge buckets down the stretch from Dante Favor and Kevyn Robertson, including a huge poster dunk and-one from Robertson with just over 6 minutes remaining. From there, the Cougars were able to finish out one of their most complete games of the season, with 5 Grayson free throws clinching the 79-72 win in the final minute. 
 
 
SCORE: Spring Arbor 79, (10) Bethel 72 
LOCATION: Spring Arbor, MI | American 1 Credit Union Arena
RECORDS: Spring Arbor 18-9 (10-7 CL), Bethel 20-7 (13-4 CL) 
 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Travis Grayson led all scorers with 22 points, also recording 6 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals. 
• Joining Grayson in double figures were Gabe Newhof, Dante Favor and Kevyn Robertson. Newhof just missed out on a double-double, with 19 points and 9 boards, also blocking 3 shots and dishing out 2 assists. Favor also narrowly missed a double-double, with 14 points and 9 rebounds, scoring 13 of his 14 points in the second half. Favor also had 2 assists and a steal. Robertson finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds, with all 11 of his points coming in the second half as well. He added a block and an assist.
• David Cundiff and Shane Rykse also played big roles in the victory. Cundiff scored 7 points and played crucial defense down the stretch, while Rykse had 6 points on two triples, both during a key run in the first half. 
• Alonas Peciulis led the scoring for Bethel with 16 points on 4-10 shooting. 
• The win gives Spring Arbor its second consecutive win against a top-15 opponent after beating (14) Huntington on Saturday. The last time Spring Arbor accomplished this feat was in the 2019-2020 season, when they beat (6) Mount Vernon Nazarene 75-60, and (11) Bethel 76-74 in back-to-back contests. 

TEAM STATS
FG Percentage: Bethel 40.3% Spring Arbor 50.0%
3PT Percentage: Bethel 33.3%, Spring Arbor 35.3%
FT Percentage: Bethel 75.0%, Spring Arbor 70.4%
Rebounds: Bethel 34, Spring Arbor 35
Assists: Bethel 8, Spring Arbor 14
Turnovers: Bethel 6, Spring Arbor 6
Points off Turnovers: Bethel 11, Spring Arbor 5
2nd Chance Points: Bethel 10, Spring Arbor 7
Bench Points: Bethel 11, Spring Arbor 7
Points in Paint: Bethel 26, Spring Arbor 42
 
 
NEXT UP
The Cougars will finish their regular season slate with a trip to Saint Francis on Saturday, February 22nd in a game that has major implications for the Crossroads League tournament. Both teams sit at 10-7, currently tied for fourth in the league, which means the winner of the contest will earn the right to host in the first round of the tournament, likely a rematch of the two teams. Tip-off is at 3:00 PM.