POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - The Bethel (Ind.) Pilots executed a near-perfect game plan en route to a 73-49 win over 16th-seeded Embry-Riddle on Wednesday afternoon in Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of the College of the Ozarks. Bethel (25-9) turned an 11-point halftime lead into a 20-point advantage midway through the second half and never allowed the Eagles (25-9) back into the game, eliminating the Blue and Gold in the first round of the NAIA II National Tournament for just the fourth time in 13 trips.

The Eagles, who did not lose a game during the regular season by more than seven points, looked great to begin the contest, getting a Rico Saldana dunk to open the scoring and a Saldana jumper and Daniel Mondragon trey to take a 7-4 lead just 70 seconds into the game. However, the Pilots answered with 12 consecutive points to go up 16-7 when Zach Miller, the Pilots' leading scorer, hit his first and only three of the day with 14:58 on the clock.

Bethel enjoyed a slim lead over the next few minutes, but the Eagles made a run around the 10-minute mark, cutting the Pilot lead to 22-18 when Jeremiah Applin came off the bench to hit a jumper.

Applin brought the Eagles to within two at 25-23 just moments later when his three-pointer hit nothing but net, but Bethel ended the frame on a 12-3 run, capped by Jordan Bowerman's four points in the final minute to push the Pilots to a 37-26 lead at the break.

The Pilots scored the first points in the second half and never looked back, continuously stifling the Eagle offense and hitting shots on their offensive end. The Pilots held the sophomore trio of DeForest Carter, Cesar Pastrana and Jason Powell to 4-of-24 shooting from the floor and just 14 points combined.

The Eagles got to within 18 when Powell hit a free throw at the 11:29 mark, but Bethel would not allow the Blue any Gold any closer.

Ryan Benner and Bowerman led the way for Bethel with 27 and 19 points respectively while the Pilots out-rebounded the Eagles 48-33.

Saldana finished with 11 for the Blue and Gold while Applin chipped in 10 off the bench. Embry-Riddle shot 31 percent from the field and 21 percent from beyond the arc.

Wednesday marked the final game for five Eagle seniors. Jeremiah Applin, Sam Ford, Daniel Mondragon, Ben Redfield and Billy Serle conclude their Embry-Riddle careers with 101 victories, three Sun Conference Tournament titles and three trips to the NAIA National Tournament.