Box Score

ST. PAUL, Minn. - For the second game in a row, the Royals held a lead at halftime.  For the second game in a row, the Royals were unable to hang on for the win as they fell to the St. Thomas Tommies by a final score of 78-70.

Foul trouble limited the play of both Annegret Nautsch (Jr., Seattle, Wash.) and Kiersten Hansen (So., Eden Prairie, Minn.).  Nautsch only saw five minutes of game time in the first half, while Hansen was held scoreless for the last 17 minutes of the second.  Hansen still went on to lead Bethel with 14 points on 4-for-9 shooting from the floor and a perfect 5-for-5 from the line.  Hansen is one of the top eight free-throw shooters in the conference, making more than 80-percent of her shots.

Gabriella Gustafson (Jr., St. Louis Park, Minn.) was the only other Royal to hit double-figures, as she scored 12.

Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer continues to play with the starting line up, looking for the right combination after losing two of his key players within the last week.  Jess Gilpin (So., St. Francis, Minn.) started her second game in a row, while Kjersten Karlsgodt (Fr., Atwater, Minn.), and Jenny Holmberg (Fr., North Oaks, Minn.) each started their first games in a Bethel uniform.  Together, the three accounted for 15 points on the night.

St. Thomas was led by Sheena Porter-Wrzos, who seemingly could not miss.  She scored 31 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the floor, including 4-for-4 from behind the arc, and a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line.  Jessica Katch also tallied double digits for the Tommies with 16.

The loss drops Bethel to 6-11 in the conference and 9-11 overall heading into their last five games.  St. Thomas, who has already clinched a playoff spot, improves to 14-3 in MIAC play and 15-5 overall.  Bethel will return home to play Concordia-Moorhead for their next game at 4 p.m. in the Robertson Center.