Lady Pilots advance to MCC Tournament semis

The Lady Pilots took care of business in the first round of the MCC Tournament as they hosted and defeated the Mount Vernon Nazarene Lady Cougars 73-60 on Feb. 21. The seventh seeded Cougars entered the game 8-10 in the MCC and were fearless in the early going. The game began with turnovers and sloppy plays, resulting in little rhythm. The Lady Pilots had difficulty finding their outside shot, and the Lady Cougars capitalized by keeping the game within reach. However, midway through the first half, Bethel was able to score both in transition and through their half-court offense, eventually giving them a 31-24 lead. The Lady Pilots began the second half right where they left off, quickly building a 15 point lead. From there, Bethel sustained the lead and used their relentless defense to keep Mount Vernon from closing the gap. Overall, it was a balanced offensive attack as four of the five starters scored in the double-digits. Kristin Hicks led with 20, Laura Johnson chipped in 14, Katy Stuppy added 12 and Ashlee Ort scored 10. Ort also chipped in 6 steals, while Chrissy Hooks led all bench scorers with 8 points. The second-seeded Lady Pilots will now advance to the semi-finals on Feb 24, where they will host the No. 3 seeded Huntington Foresters. Bethel and Huntington split during the regular season.