Box Score

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. - It was 2004 when Bethel last won a home play-off game, and even earlier than that - 2001-02 - when they had a 20 win season. Tonight's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) semifinal playoff match-up ended those droughts for Bethel as they defeated the Augsburg Auggies 70-59 in front of a near full house at the Robertson Center tonight.

Mike Moberg (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) put away the first basket just 23 seconds into the game - and those simple two points set the tone for the 39 minutes that followed. After Moberg's lay up Bethel began putting distance between themselves and their opponent. The Auggies scrapped, pushed, and shouldered themselves into the home team, but all that did was win them a handful of times they took the lead from the Royals - leads that never amounted to more than a basket.

Though that's not to say this wasn't a close game. Each school had a rowdy fan base with them tonight, and the game kept them on their feet throughout most of the contest - as did the chants each student section threw back and forth across the bleachers. But neither Bethel nor Augsburg disappointed tonight. In the first half the Royals hit 12 of 37 of their field goals, while the Auggies sank 11 for 29. Three-point field goals, however, were a different story. Bethel shot nearly 38 percent from beyond the arc, but Augsburg made only 18 percent of their shots from the same distance. With such relatively even shooting percentages, it's no wonder the first half ended with Bethel up 31-30.

It was Moberg who again had the first basket of the second half, adding another two points to what would be an evening total of 13 points and 11 rebounds - his 11th double-double of the season. He also had four of Bethel's five blocked shots. Not to be outdone by the towering senior, other Bethel men stepped up their games to widen the gap between Augsburg and themselves. Tim Madson (Sr., Redwood Falls, Minn.), who is now the third all-time leading scorer at Bethel with 1,755 points, scored 29 tonight to help beat Augsburg, including a few late-game three point shots that launched fans to their feet.  Both Cory Laugen (Sr., Blaine, Minn.) and Chris Vavra (Jr., Cambridge, Minn.) also had solid performances, and each ended with 11 points. Vavra nearly had a double-double with eight rebounds on the night as well.

Notably, Bethel out-rebounded Augsburg 43-27 on the whole tonight, which was evident in the tough physical play by Moberg as well as Nate Robertson (Jr., Forest Lake, Minn.). There was also a discrepancy in free-throw percentages, as the Royals walked away boasting over 86 percent, and the Auggies hit just 70. It was statistics like these that made it possible for Bethel to defeat Augsburg, and move further into the 2008-09 play-offs.

For Augsburg it was David Olson who took the lead in points with 16, followed closely by Jon Cassens, who had 15. The Auggies' Nate Alm had 10 points and 9 rebounds.

Next, Bethel moves to take on undefeated St. Thomas in what should be the match-up of the season as they look for revenge against the #1-ranked team in the nation. This game is scheduled to be held on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at St. Thomas.