BOX SCORE
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Shooting just one free throw prior to today's contest,
AJ Hatchett (Fr., Powder Springs, Ga.) buried a pair of free throws with two seconds remaining in the game to seal the Royals 75-71 victory over Gustavus Adolphus College. The Gusties, coming into today's contest tied for first in the MIAC, become the second straight team ranked first in the conference to fall to the rising Royals.
Bethel overcame a nine-point deficit with just under ten minutes to play behind an outstanding effort by
Taylor Hall (Jr., Blaine, Minn.) and Kyle Zimmerman (So., Champlin, Minn.), who returned for today's matinee after sitting out the last two weeks with a high ankle sprain.
Bethel led by as many as eight points mid-way through the first period, when
Daniel Baah (Sr., Farmington, Minn.) fired a three-ball from long range, putting the Royals ahead 16-8 with 13:55 to play. Gustavus managed to minimize the BU lead, and eventually captured the lead with 9:01 remaining. Seth Anderson's 15-point first-half effort gave the Gusties a two-point advantage at the end of the period, leading 37-35 going into the locker room.
The Royals painted GAC in the first half with a 10-6 advantage in points in the paint.
Taylor Hall crippled the Gustie defense with 11 points, including a four-of-four mark from the line. BU finished the frame with a 46.4 percentage from the floor, draining 13-of-28 shots and outrebounded Gustavus 16-14.
Despite a three-pointer by
Quinn Gorski (So., Batavia, Ill.) to start the period, Bethel surrendered an eight-point gap in the first two minutes to start the period. Gustavus maintained its lead until the 9:28 mark, however, it was clear BU was not backing down. Each team thrived off the exceptional fan base there, as the Robertson Center Gym saw over 700 people in today's highly anticipated competition. Trailing by nine points at the time, the Royals put the gas pedal to the floor by spouting off a15-5 run that gave Bethel a 70-65 lead with over two minutes to go. Kyle Zimmerman delivered nine clutch points in the run, while setting up a three pointer to
JD Robinson (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) to cap the streak. In fact, Robinson contributed the remaining six points in the run with two spot-up jumpers from beyond the arc. Gustavus narrowed the point margin to 72-71 with 25 seconds to play, but a free throw by Hall and the final two by Hatchet clinched the second straight victory.
In the second period alone BU outscored GAC's bench 19-10, thanks to Zimmerman's 15 second-half points. Bethel also continued to dominate the paint, outdueling Gustavus 18-10 over the final 20 minutes.
Zimmerman and Hall combined for 25 of the Royals 40 second-half points, shooting nine-of-twelve from the floor. The dynamic duo along with the entire BU offense shot 61 percent in the second-half and finished more second-chance points than the traveling Gusties.
BU finished the game shooting 53 percent, led by
Taylor Hall and Kyle Zimmerman. Hall finished the contest with 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and one steal. Zimmerman nearly mirrored Hall with 22 points and eight rebounds, to go along with his three rebounds, two blocks, and a steal.
JD Robinson scorched the Gusties with 12 points, on four-of-five shooting from downtown. Overall Bethel outmuscled Gustavus down low, owning the 28-16 advantage in the paint.
With two monumental wins and a whirlwind of momentum on its side Bethel will host Augsburg on Wednesday, January 25 at the Robertson Center Gym. Earlier in the season, BU fell to the Auggies in Minneapolis 86-55, however, time will tell how much these two squads have changed.
