Skip to main content

HU wears out in final minutes, loses to #3 Bethel

Huntington University freshman Colin Featherston shoots the ball in traffic against third-ranked Bethel on Thursday, Jan. 7. The Foresters lost 98-91.
Huntington University freshman Colin Featherston shoots the ball in traffic against third-ranked Bethel on Thursday, Jan. 7. The Foresters lost 98-91. Photo by Matt Murphy.

Playing without two starters, the Huntington University men's basketball team ran out of steam in the final 10 minutes and lost to visiting Bethel College, 98-91, on Thursday, Jan. 7.

The Foresters, 12-6, held a 10-point lead early in the second half and were holding their own against third-ranked Bethel for the first 30 minutes of the contest, but at that point Bethel put on a 10-point burst and held on for its 15th win in 17 outings.

Kellen Zawadzki helped make up for the losses of Kevin Kyle and Tyler Shively with a career-high 31 points for HU, including nailing seven 3-pointers, coming off the bench. Luke Smith had 20 points and Bobby Jolliff added 15 points.

Ryne Lightfoot led the Pilot attack with 27 points.

Smith had the hot hand to open the game for HU, scoring the team's first nine points as the Foresters and Pilots played to a 9-9 tie in the first four minutes. Zawadzki then took his turn, scoring the squad's next 10 points over a three-minutes pan as HU grabbed a 19-12 lead.

Lightfoot sparked a 13-4 run by Bethel in the waning moments of the first half to cut the HU lead to one at 43-42 by halftime.

Zawadzki hit a pair of threes early in the second half and Smith canned three free throws as HU jumped out to that 10-point lead, but Bethel went on an 8-0 run to reel the Foresters back in.

The teams were tied at 63-all at the 9:41 mark, but Bethel gained a 10-point advantage in the next few minutes to lead 86-76 with just over three minutes left in the contest.

HU hit 35 of 65 shots from the field for 53.8 percent, including 12 of 24 from beyond the arc for 50 percent. They were crushed from the free-throw line as Bethel took advantage of 28 HU fouls to ring up 28 points at the stripe, compared to HU hitting 9 of 14.

Jolliff and Smith each had five rebounds to lead HU, and Colin Featherston passed out seven assists and had two steals in his first collegiate start.