Brenton Bell's career-high 33 points was not enough in an 80-76 loss to Evangel on Thursday. The loss drops MNU to fifth place in the HAAC with 3 games to go. The first half was tight until Evangel guard Spud Harbour went on a personal 10-3 run in the final 2 minutes to give the Crusaders a 6-point lead heading to the locker room. HAAC Player of the Year contenders Bell and Harbour put on quite a show, scoring 59 points between them, and Evangel maintained a 6-9 point lead for most of the second half. The Pioneers fought back in the final minutes and got the lead down to 3 with 40 seconds left, but Evangel hit their free throws and took the game.
Bell had 33 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
Rustin Dowd had 16 points and 2 steals. And
Ben Swinger had 8 points and 10 rebounds.
The Pioneers are 16-11 (10-7 HAAC). The next game is Saturday at Lindenwood (20-8, 12-6) at 4:00 PM. Lindenwood has won 5 straight and 8 of their last 9.
