Pilots fall to Taylor at home, lose third straight

The Pilot men’s basketball team dropped another devastating game on Jan. 28, at the Wiekamp Center as the Trojans from Taylor beat them for the second time this season. The Pilots were able to erase several large deficits but eventually fell 70-61. The Pilots went with a unique starting lineup looking to change things up, which consisted of Zach Miller, Landon Booker, Matt Schauss, Taylor Kolbus, and Darrell Hopkins. The unfamiliarity resulted in a slow start for Bethel turning the ball over on the first three possessions. In addition, the Pilots found themselves shooting well below 50 percent from the field in the first ten minutes. As a result, the Trojans quickly built an 18-8 lead. The Pilots quickly woke up and came storming back to take a 29-28 lead before Taylor closed the half out with a late three that put them up 34-31. The second half began very similar to the first as Taylor rebuilt a 44-35 lead. The Pilots made several attempts to close the gap but were unsuccessful as a result of the Trojan’s wise clock management and clutch free-throws. Miller and Booker carried the load offensively as they each scored 16 and 10 points respectively. Schauss had eight points on the afternoon as well as Ryan Benner who gave a tremendous effort off the bench. Overall it was a very clean game offensively as the Pilots committed just eight turnovers while Taylor gave up 10. This loss was a tough loss for the Pilots. Not only does the losing streak stretch to three but it was the last chance to turn around their home fortunes before going on a two game road trip. The Pilots will now aim to escape Mount Vernon with a victory next Tuesday before traveling to Saint Francis to play a very talented Cougar team. The Pilots also drop to 5-7 in the MCC which places them in a tie with Taylor for eighth place. Nevertheless, Bethel has proven to be road warriors this season winning four out of their five conference games on the road. If they can close out this season strong, they can still attain a satisfying seed in the conference tournament.