Bushnell University

WINONA LAKE, Ind. – The Bushnell men's basketball team opened up the Crossroads/Cascade Classic on Friday afternoon, falling to Bethel University, 101-91.
 
After falling behind by as many as 13 points early in the second half, the Beacons put up a fight, climbing back to within one point with under seven minutes remaining on a jumper from Luke Smith.
 
The Beacons (2-1) finished the night shooting 50.7% from the field. They were out-rebounded 40-32, but out-scored the Pilots 23-12 off the bench.
 
Head Coach Eddie Alexander said, "I am excited about the way we continued to fight today. Our guys kept believing and getting back into the game. I thought we executed well enough offensively although we can still be much better. We struggled on our defensive assignments at times and Bethel took advantage."
 
Smith was the story for the Beacons in this one, hitting four three-pointers in the first half and finishing with a team-high 21 points. Smith shot 8-for-10 from the field and added four assists. Spencer Hoffman and Trevon Richmond chipped in 16 points apiece while Kaden Sand scored 15.
 
Bethel (4-0) was led by Drew Lutz, scoring 36 points with nine rebounds and six assists.
 
"Drew Lutz will be one of the best players we see all season," said Alexander. "Each time we got close, he would make a play. I give him a lot of credit and Coach Drabyn did an excellent job having his team prepared."
 
Bushnell will close out the tournament at 5:00 pm (EST) on Saturday, facing off against tournament host Grace College (4-0), currently ranked No. 8 in the NAIA Coaches Poll.