Box Score

NEW ULM, Minn. - After four and a half weeks of intense practice and nursing players back to health, Bethel began their season tonight with a 70-55 win over the hosting Martin Luther Knights.

The Royals used a spread out scoring attack and held a lead for the majority of the game, scoring 35 points in each half. Tim Madson (Sr., Redwood Falls, Minn.) led the charge for Bethel with 14 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the floor. Chris Vavra (Jr., Cambridge, Minn.) gave the Royals an additional 12 points off the bench, while Cory Laugen (Sr., Blaine, Minn.) added 10 points of his own in the victory. Tonight's game marked the first time Laugen has played since he was sidelined with an injury in early February of last season.

Starting forward Mike Moberg (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) grabbed 10 rebounds and had eight points, as well as four blocked shots on the night. Mike Much (Jr., Champlin, Minn.) also had four blocked shots in his 28 minutes of play.

Four of the Knights starting five players tallied double digit points, including Caleb Free and Greg Holzhueter, who each had 12.

With the win, Bethel is now 1-0 on the season, while Martin Luther drops to 0-1. The Royals are scheduled to take the court next Friday night in the opening round of the annual Bethel Tip-Off Tournament when they face Mount Marty at 8 p.m.