MISHAWAKA Ind. - No. 9-ranked Bethel (Ind.) College dominated the boards as the No. 7-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University men's basketball team saw their 14-game win streak come to a close with a 79-72 loss on Tuesday night in Mishawaka, Indiana.

Bethel held a 41-27 advantage on the boards, including 16 on the offensive glass.

Despite the Wildcats' shooting 51.9% (27 of 52) from the floor and limiting the Pilots' to 40.8% (29-71), the disparity in rebounding proved to be the Wildcats' downfall as the Pilots were able to take 19 more shots.

The Pilots held the lead throughout much of the first half and found themselves with their largest lead of the half of eight points (40-32), with 2:03 remaining in the first half. Bethel went into the break with a 42-35 lead.

Bethel opened the second half with an old-fashioned three-point play to extend their lead to 45-35, their largest lead of the game.

Over the next six minutes, Indiana Wesleyan exploded on a 15-0 run to gain the lead at 50-45. The stretch was keyed by a team effort that saw six different Wildcats score.

Bethel quickly responded with a 9-0 run to recapture the lead at 54-50, with 11:30 to play. Over the next nine minutes, neither team was able to separate themselves by more than four points until Wes Laidig's free throw with 2:32 remaining pushed the Bethel lead to five, 71-66. The Wildcats would get no closer.

The Wildcats were led in scoring by senior guard Ryan Hetrick with 16 points. Senior guard Spencer Harris contributed 15 points, while sophomore guard Derrick Troyer chipped in with 13 points. Senior center Zach Coverstone narrowly missed out on a double-double with 12 points and nine boards, while also rejecting five shots and dishing out four assists.

Indiana Wesleyan will host Marygrove (Mich.) College at 3 pm on Saturday, January 30 at Luckey Arena. The game will be highlighted by Coaches vs. Cancer.

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