Pilots pound Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars 89-77

After a trip to Florida and a break in competitive action, the men’s basketball team gathered a decisive triumph over the Cougars of Mount Vernon Nazarene University by a score of 89-77. It was all Pilots in the first twenty minutes of play as Bethel took an impressive 46-30 lead into halftime. Nevertheless, the Cougars were resilient in the second half and nearly climbing out of the hole they had dug themselves. In the end, the young Pilots looked to their bench down the stretch to pull out the twelve point victory. The big story of the night was Landon Booker coming back from a knee injury that had him sidelined since Nov. 22. Booker had a successful night, coming off the bench and supplying 13 points and four steals in just 21 minutes of playing time. Michael Mislan also gave significant contributions off the bench as he scored 10 points and gathered five rebounds.

In addition to outstanding bench play, starters Ryan Benner and Zach Miller each scored a whopping 19 points. From here, the Pilots will not get much of a break as they will compete again on Thursday Jan. 5 as they host the Saint Francis Cougars. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.