ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Monday evening took Bethel University's men's basketball squad to Minneapolis, where it faced the undefeated Auggies of Augsburg College. The Royals got down early and could not overcome a sizeable lead, which eventually led to its 86-55 demise.

The Royals held a two-point advantage in the opening three minutes, but was never in front the remainder of the contest. In fact with the score tied at four, the Auggies set the tone early with a 13-0 run that sunk BU early. With the score at 17-4 and just over 11 minutes to play in the first half Bethel attempted to cut the lead, narrowing it to nine, however, the moment BU was charging the Auggies increased the gap to 17 with a 30-13 lead at the three-minute mark. When the period ended the Auggies favored a 36-17 lead.

In the second frame Augsburg continued to pour it on, increasing its lead to 31 in the opening five minutes of the half. From there the two teams managed a balanced swing of points, but in the end the Auggies carried the 86-55 advantage.

One of the key components to Augsburg's success was outside shooting. The Auggies drained 58 percent of its shots from behind the three-point line, finishing 11-19 from downtown. On the other hand, the Royals only mustered a field goal percentage of 35 percent, which was quickly deflated by 2-of-10 shooting from behind the arc.

BU had three players score in double digits, as Daniel Baah (Sr., Farmington, Minn.) led the Royals with 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Taylor Hall (Jr., Blaine, Minn.) dropped 14 points, grabbed three boards, and blocked to Auggie shots. Greg Meyer (Jr., Brooklyn Center, Minn.) also pitched in his first double-digit effort of the season with 12 points, three rebounds, and one block.

The Royals look to respond Wednesday as it returns home to face the Carleton Knights at 7:30 p.m. in the Robertson Center Gym.