Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS - The Bethel Royals played their final game of the calendar year today and came away with an 80-52 win over hosts, the North Central Rams.

The Royals jumped out to a 46-23 halftime lead and continued to keep the Rams at bay in the second half by outscoring them 34-29 to build upon their lead.

After being held to less than 10 points for the first time since his freshman season against Macalester on Monday, Tim Madson (Sr., Redwood Falls, Minn.) bounced back to lead all scorers with 24 points on exceptional shooting. He was 5-for-7 from the floor, which included going 4-for-6 from three-point range, and he missed just one of his 11 free throws. Nate Robertson (Jr., Forest Lake, Minn.) turned out another fine performance by scoring 13 points and grabbing six rebounds, while Chris Vavra (Jr., Cambridge, Minn.) scored in the double digits for the sixth time in eight games by netting 10 points.

Daniel Young led the Rams with 17 points. Levi Fickensher and Chris Hickox also posted double figures with 15 and 10 points, respectively.

Today's win puts Bethel at 7-1 on their season, while North Central drops to 2-6 overall. The Royals will now enjoy a three-week break before returning to the court on January 2, 2009, when they are scheduled to take on Concordia College up in Moorhead, Minn., beginning at 3 p.m.