FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The No. 23-ranked Indiana Tech men's basketball team fell to regional rival Bethel University, 99-84, Tuesday evening in their season opener inside the Schaefer Center.
 
Josh Kline led the Warriors with a career-high 24 points on 8-17 shooting and added 12 rebounds for the double-double. Cory McKinney had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists in his first collegiate start while Jeremy Davison had 12 points, five assists and three rebounds in his first collegiate game. Max Huber chipped in 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists while Lucas Lehrman had 10 points and four rebounds.
 
The Pilots took the lead right off the bat with a three-pointer from Fort Wayne native Trevion Crews, who scored a game-high 31 points on 11-14 shooting, including 7-9 from behind the arc. The two teams traded baskets over the next five minutes and the score was knotted up at 11-11 with 16:46 on the clock. A 7-0 run from the Warriors put them ahead 18-11 before extending their lead to nine points at the 11:52 mark in the half.
 
Bethel began to heat up though, going on a 23-4 run over the next eight minutes to take a 37-27 lead with 3:13 to play in the half while holding Tech scoreless for a six-minute stretch. McKinney hit a triple to cut the deficit to 40-33 with 1:23 on the clock for a score that would hold there to close out the opening period.
 
The Orange and Black started the second half on a 12-5 spurt to cut the visitors lead down to 49-45 at the 15:59 mark, but that would be as close as the hosts would get for the remainder of the game. A layup from Crews sparked a 28-17 run for the Pilots that grew their lead to 20 points with nine minutes left to play in the game. A late rally from the Warriors made the game interesting in the final minutes as a 13-4 spurt made it a 92-82 game with 1:19 on the clock, but the Pilots closed out the game to knock off their second straight team ranked in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
 
Tech (0-1) returns to action on Friday, November 1 as they travel to Grand Rapids, Michigan to battle No. 4-ranked Morningside College in their opening game of the Cornerstone Classic. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. from Mol Arena.