Box Score

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Royal fans flocked to the Robertson Center Wednesday evening to see the Bethel Royal men's basketball team take on the nationally ranked St. Thomas Tommies. The match-up had significant ramifications for the Royals as they continue to push forward in the hunt for their 12th straight MIAC playoff appearance. Unfortunately for the Royals, the Tommies would leave with the upper hand as they defeated Bethel 78-55.

Emotions ran high early in front of a large crowd. Both the Royals and Tommies came out playing great defense while exchanging the lead several times throughout the first half. In the latter minutes of the first, St. Thomas stepped up their game and took the lead for good, forcing Bethel to play catch-up. The Royals first half attack was lead by Chris Vavra (Sr., Cambridge, Minn.) and Nate Robertson (Sr., Forest Lake, Minn.) who both had 10 points apiece to pace the Bethel offense. The Tommies would get the best of the Royals defense as they went on a 14-7 run to end the first half of play.

The second half didn't get much better for the Royals as the Tommie offense started to take off. Alex Healy added 14 points for St. Thomas in the second half. For Bethel, Vavra finished with 16 points leading the Royals, while Robertson finished with 15 points and 4 rebounds. Greg Meyer (Fr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) also chipped in with 9 points, but it wouldn't be enough as the Bethel faltered against first-place St. Thomas.

The Tommies made nearly 55% of their shots from the floor, compared to just under 40% for the Royals. Bethel was outscored 16-2 off of second chances, and St. Thomas also made Bethel pay for turnovers, scoring 18 points compared to just seven for the home team.

With the loss the Royals are now tied for seventh in the MIAC standings with a record of 7-10 in conference play. Overall, Bethel stands at 11-11 on the year with their next matchup coming Saturday afternoon in St. Peter, Minn., where they will take on Gustavus Adolphus College beginning at 3 p.m.