MISHAWAKA – Bethel College seniors Zach Miller and Matt Schauss ended their last regular-season home game on a high note leading their No. 12-ranked Pilots to an 86-63 victory over Taylor University Tuesday night.

Miller would lead all scorers pouring in 21 points while classmate Schauss added 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists on the evening.

The senior leaders were two of five Pilots scoring in double figures with freshman Chris Mitchell scoring 16 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Clay Yeo chipped in 16 points of his own while freshman Gage Ott added 10.

It would would be somewhat of a close game in the early going as Taylor’s Jesse Coffey started 4-of-5 from the field giving Taylor a big boost. TU would have their only lead of the night after a Coffey trey to go up 3-2.

Bethel (24-5, 12-5) used two triples from Yeo and Miller to go up seven (19-12) with 12:46 left in the opening half and would hold their advantage for the next two minutes. A 9-2 run featuring another triple from Miller extended the Pilot lead to 13 points (31-18) with 7:03 on the clock.

With Bethel up 31-21 they would go on another impressive 11-2 spurt including baskets from Jordyn Coon, Schauss and Mitchell to extend their lead to as many as 19 (42-23) with 3:33 remaining.

Taylor would not go quietly as a 7-0 run cut the Pilot advantage to 12 just before the break. Bethel would head into intermission up 44-32.

Schauss led the BC troops with 10 points at the break while Miller and Yeo added eight each. Bethel connected on 61 percent from the field on 17-of-28 shooting while knocking in 46 percent from beyond the arc (5-of-11) while defensively holding Taylor to 36 percent shooting (12-of-33) and 4-of-16 from three-point range (25 percent).

The second half started out with an Ott bucket, but the Trojans rattled off six-straight to cut the lead to eight (48-40). The Pilots would compose themselves and respond in a major way with a 13-2 run sailing to a 19-point lead (61-42) with 13:57 left to play.

Bethel would allow Taylor to get no closer than 13 points the rest of the way as Miller would put on an impressive shooting diplay canning four triples on the night while Mithcell, Schauss and Yeo closed the game scoring the last eight-points of the game for the 86-63 final.

Both Miller and Schauss would exit the contest with just under two minutes remaining to a standing ovation.

For the game Bethel converted on 59 percent from the field while Taylor managed 39 percent.

The Trojans were paced by Jesse Coffey’s 18 points.

The Pilots finish the regular season on the road with a date at archrival Grace College on Saturday  at 3 p.m.