FORT WAYNE – Bethel Men’s Basketball notched a pivotal Crossroads League road win on Monday evening, upsetting No. 20 Saint Francis 79-77 on a pair of TreVion Crews free throws with 2.6 seconds left. Crews led the way with a game-high 27 points and 5 three-pointers, while Nathan Aerts added 18 points and 7 boards to hand the Cougars just their second loss this season.

 

GAME VITALS

  • Score: Bethel def. Saint Francis 79-77
  • Records: Bethel (12-2, 4-1) | Saint Francis (13-2, 1-2)
  • NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll:  Bethel – RV | Saint Francis – No. 20
  • Location: Hutzell Athletic Center | University of Saint Francis | Fort Wayne, Ind.

 

STAT TRACKER

 

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

  • The margin never got wider than two possessions for either team, with Saint Francis holding their largest lead of 6 points, while the Pilots led by as many as 4.
  • TreVion Crews became the 19th player in program history to surpass 1,700 career points. He is only the third to do so in just three years of eligibility with the Pilots, joining Ryan Bales, Clay Yeo, and Dave Troyer.
  • The Pilots won their third straight game against Saint Francis, all within one possession or in overtime.

 

THOUGHTS FROM COACH DRABYN

  • “I am really proud of our guys for finding a way to win on the road against a really good team in Saint Francis. They are well coached and made things tough for us on both ends. After a slow start defensively, we settled in and did a much better job of forcing them to shoot tough 2’s. Our defensive numbers were good, holding them to 26% from 3 and 43% overall.”
  • Wesley Burse gave us big minutes with Nathan Aerts in foul trouble and Garrett Suedekum did a good job on Antwan Cushingberry. TreVion Crews found his rhythm offensively and got to his spots well. We learned a lot tonight and look forward to another tough conference game at home against Taylor on Wednesday.”

 

NEXT TIME OUT

  • The Pilots return to the Wiekamp Athletic Center on Wednesday at 7:00 pm for a matchup against Taylor.