MEN’S BASKETBALL

It was a score fest Wednesday night at the Wiekamp Athletic Center with the #RV Pilots of Bethel University slipping past the visiting HU men’s basketball team 101-96.

Not surprisingly, both squads shot the ball well as evidenced by each recording final shooting percentages over 50 percent. Huntington knocked down 38 field goals, three more than BU, at a clip of 55.9 percent while the Pilots finished 35-for-62 from the floor for 56.5 percent. Beyond the arc, Bethel canned nine triples to Huntington’s eight.

While the two teams shot similarly, there were several glaring differences by game’s end that gave Bethel the edge they needed to come out on top.

The first telling stat was what happened on the offensive glass. BU tracked down 12 of their misses to score 17 points on putbacks which included a pair of tip-ins in the final minute of play. At the other end of the floor, HU managed just six points from their seven offensive boards.

The other lopsided stat came by way of the charity stripe where the Pilots posted a meager 62.9 percent but got there 20 more times than Alford’s crew who went 12-for-15. BU finished the night 22-for-35 from the free throw line.

Both teams enjoyed a nine-point lead with HU’s bulge coming at the eight-minute mark of the first half before an 11-point swing by the Pilots sent them into the locker room up 48-46. Bethel’s nine-point cushion came midway through the second frame. Staring at the nine-point difference, the Foresters methodically chipped away at their deficit to eventually climb on top 90-88 with just over three minutes remaining on a Zach Goodline traditional three-point play.

It was the guests’ first lead of the second half but was quickly erased as Bethel scored the next three points to reclaim the lead at 92-90 with 2:20 to go. Fifteen seconds later Goodline tied it up for the ninth and final time with a pair of freebies. Unfortunately Bethel’s execution down the stretch proved supreme to make for the final five-point disparity.

Lane Sparks was tough to defend all night, finishing with a game-best 31 points on 11-for-17 shooting which included draining four of his five threes. He went a perfect 5-for-5 from the line and pulled down six rebounds.

Goodline also had a busy night having poured in 21 points and dished out eight assists. Jackson Paul added 18 points while Landen Jordan tossed in 12 and snagged seven rebounds.

Bethel’s starting five scored all but nine of their team’s 101 points. Drew Lutz topped the Pilots with 23 points while James Anderson collected 22. Other Pilots in double figures included Trent Edwards with 17, Preston Phillips with 16 and Nathan Aerts with 14.

Over the last two decades, it’s been a dog fight between these two programs. The series record since the 2003-04 season stands at 20-20.

HU (3-5, 0-2) returns to Platt Arena on Saturday to host Saint Francis at 3:00 p.m.