Men’s Hoops Rattles some Crossroads League Brackets with Win over Bethel
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | 2OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (14-14, 7-11) | 37 | 47 | 10 | 8 | 102 |
|
Bethel (IN) (17-11, 9-9) | 47 | 37 | 10 | 7 | 101 |
MISHAWAKA, Ind. – Men's Hoops overcame their Saturday evening contest with the Bethel University Pilots 102-101 entering into two double overtimes. The Cougars fell 12 points in the first half and had no flow to their distribution up the court and trailed by a large deficit in both the first and second halves.
The Cougars cut the Pilots' lead to 10 at the half after some hot shooting from Dan McKeeman and Brandon Northern. BU's Drew Lutz put on a show for the home crowd and opposing Cougars with his unselfish play, but was overcome from a resilient Cougar side.
Trailing into the second half 37-49, the Cougars struggled to defend the three-point shooting of Bethel. USF was able to trim the deficit down to 1 point with 12:00 remaining in regulation. They eventually took the lead 62-61 and kept it close for the rest of the contest. Brandon Northern went 1:2 at the free throw line to take the game into its first overtime. The second overtime was filled with excitement and many lead changes between the two teams. Dan McKeeman had a go-ahead And 1 to lead the team in the Double-OT victory.
Saint Francis shot 50% from the field and 71% from the foul line. The all-around game from Brayton Bailey helped the Cougars as he contributed 20 points and 9 rebounds. The Cougars only turned the ball over seven times scoring 48 points in the paint.
Solid performances from the Cougars included Brandon Northern leading all Cougar scoring with 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Antwaan Cushingberry contributed 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists. Dan McKeeman was 4:10 from three-point shooting range, totaling his contributions to 25 points and 5 rebounds.
The Cougars are now 14-14 overall and 7-11 in conference play. USF will take on the Lancers of Grace College on Wednesday, February 22nd. USF will travel to Winona Lake, Indiana for a 7pm tip-off with the No. 4-Ranked Grace College Lancers. The Cougars look to keep their national tournament hopes alive in the Crossroads League tournament next week.
Cougar fans stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting Saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.
-Grant Ott-Large-