MOUNT VERNON, Ohio --- The Bethel Pilots Women's Basketball team started 2025 on the road in Ariel Arena on Saturday to continue the Crossroads League season with the Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars. The game ended in a loss after the team shot woefully in the 30% range from the field for a portion of the game.

The Pilots hit the 40% threshold in the first to third quarters and fell to 22% in the fourth, which both sides shot in the 20% range in the final quarter of the game. A 28-point third quarter helped boost the Cougars' lead and outpaced the Pilots with stronger three-point shooting in the second half compared to the Pilots.

Olivia Nickerson led the offense with 4-for-8 shooting from deep and a perfect 2-2 from the charity stripe for 14 points, and Mariah Claywell was the other Pilot scoring in double-digits with 10 points and 5-13 shooting from the floor.

Claywell had the second-most rebounds, with five, behind Caroline Morris, who had seven boards and six points for the night.

The game started with two lead changes, with the Pilots opening with back-to-back buckets from Claywell 4-0, but was deleted by two consecutive Cougar scores from a layup at 8:20 and a triple at 7:41, 5-4 MVNU.

Nickerson tied the game 9-9 with a deep ball at 3:42 in the first, but MVNU went on a 9-4 run to end the first at 20-13 Cougars.

Mount Vernon peaked their first-half lead at a 16-point, 29-13 game at 6:26 from a layup down the lane, but Scales laid one off the glass at 1:48 to get the game down to a nine-point deficit, 34-25.

Claywell answered two points off free throws for MVNU with a layup at 1:11 to get back to a nine-point difference but would ultimately go into halftime down 10 to the Cougars 39-29.

Mount Vernon bounced to a 20-point lead at 2:03 in the third quarter from a triple, but the Pilots would ultimately fall 77-57 to hold a record of 136-195 in January all-time.

The Pilots return home on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 5:30 p.m. in the Gates Gymnasium to face the NAIA 15th-ranked Marian Knights on the Bethel Sports Network.

For more information about Bethel Pilots Athletics, check out bupilots.com or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube by searching @bupilots or using the hashtag #AnchorUp for updates on all 31 Bethel Pilots sports.