Playing the first of back-to-back nationally ranked foes on Saturday afternoon, Lourdes dropped a 104-73 contest to 16^th-ranked Bethel (Ind.) in the final game of the Best Western Hoopfest held at Gunden Gym in Goshen, Ind.
 
"Bethel is a great team, and play like a well-oiled machine," head coach Josh Gibson said afterwards.  "If you make a mistake they will take advantage of it."
 
Lourdes fell behind 54-27 at halftime, as the Pilots shot 62.9% from the floor in the opening stanza.  The Gray Wolves shot just 34.8% over the opening 20 minutes, but played better in the second half, shooting 48.0% from the field.
 
"In the first half we struggled against their intensity and size," Gibson added.  "The second half was similar to last night in that we made some good adjustments.  I was pleased with how we adjusted and we executed offensively much better."
 
Levert Bristol (Dothan, Ala./Northview H.S.) led the Gray Wolves with 19 points and eight rebounds, making 8-of-11 shots from the floor.  Malik Thurman (Dayton, Ohio/Stebbins H.S.) added 18 points, including nine from the free throw line, while Evan Vasquez (Delta, Ohio/Delta H.S.) chipped in 13 points off of the bench.
 
"We had some good individual performances today," Gibson said.  "Our bench gave us some solid minutes."
 
Paul Forman led Bethel (3-0) with 19 points, while Clay Yeo added 18 points as both players shot 7-of-10 from the floor.  Nick Kindig added 17 points and eight assist for the Pilots, which had five players score in double figures.
 
Bethel forced 20 Gray Wolf turnovers while committing just six of their own, and outrebounded Lourdes 40-31 for the night.
 
Lourdes (1-2) will remain on the road Tuesday evening as the Gray Wolves head to Fort Wayne, Ind. to battle top-ranked Saint Francis (Ind.).  Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Hutzell Athletic Center.