Box Score
NORTHFIELD, Minn. - The Bethel Royals are headed back to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) playoffs for the 11th consecutive season thanks to a hard fought 74-69 win over their hosts, the St. Olaf Oles.
Bethel held a 42-30 lead at the half, only to see St. Olaf scratch and claw its way back into the game and narrow the Royal lead to just two points with 1:23 remaining. However, clutch free throws by
Tim Madson (Sr., Redwood Falls, Minn.) and
Cory Laugen (Sr., Blaine, Minn.) put the game on ice in the waning seconds to preserve the win.
One of the key contributors to Bethel's win was
Mike Moberg (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.), who easily surpassed the 1,000 point mark of his career with 22 today. The starting center also had 14 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season, and his third in Bethel's last four games. The big man also had three assists and three steals on the afternoon.
Madson turned out a 17 point performance, despite being held to just six points in the first half, and Laugen had 10 points as Bethel's third player to post double digits, while
Nate Robertson (Jr., Forest Lake, Minn.) had an equal number of points and rebounds with eight.
Mark Torell was the leading scorer for the Oles with 24 points, but perhaps most notable was the lack of points that Bobby Fong scored. Fong came into the game as the Oles leading scorer, but was held to just two points on 1-for-14 shooting. Defensively, Bethel stayed foul trouble free in the second half, committing just four personal fouls in the half, and none until the last six minutes. This kept St. Olaf from reaching the free throw line as the Oles shot just twice from the charity stripe in the entire second half.
The win is Bethel's sixth in their last seven games and helps them get back into the fight for second place in the conference along with two other teams at 11-5. The Royals' overall record improves to 16-5, while the Oles fall to 8-13 overall and 5-11 in the MIAC. Bethel is scheduled to stay on the road to take on undefeated and #1 nationally ranked St. Thomas next Wednesday night beginning at 7:30 p.m. in St. Paul.
