BOX SCORE
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – After two straight losses the Bethel University women's basketball team was hungry for an all-around team victory today facing Macalester – and they got it. Saturday's 1 p.m. matinee showcased a determined BU squad that routed the Scots 66-56, thanks in no small part to a 40 percent effort from the floor.
Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and his coaching staff witnessed four players score eight or more points, and a team rebounding effort that finished with a 39-34 advantage.
Coming into today's contest Macalester needed a victory over Bethel to pull themselves within one game of conference playoff contention. Therefore play remained close throughout the entire first half. The Royals held the lead throughout the first nine minutes, leading by as many as five when
Taylor Sheley (Sr., Backus, Minn.) drained a three-pointer, giving her nine of the team's first 11 points.
Nicole Berscheid (So., Holdingford, Minn.) helped maintain that lead with an “And-One” play that gave BU a 14-9 lead with 14:15 remaining. Macalester fought back, however, stealing the lead at the 11-minute mark and owning the scoreboard battle for the next nine minutes. Junior
Kelly Swenson (Jr., Dawson, Minn.) drained a lay-up and buzzer beater baseline shot though to send the Royals into the locker room with a 35-32 lead at the half.
After one the Royals finished the frame with a 42 percent mark from the floor, shooting 13-of 31 in the period. Sheley led all players with 13 points and three rebounds. She also added two blocks, two steals, and two assists.
Kiah Dahlquist (Fr., St. Cloud, Minn.) flared a spark in the BU offense with five points and five rebounds in the first half.
The Scots battled back immediately in the second period, swiping the lead at the 16-minute mark. Another Sheley three put the Royals ahead 40-38 – a lead they would never give up. In fact it was Sheley's three-ball that triggered a 17-5 run for BU over a six-minute period, pushing the Royals to an 11-point lead. Bethel maintained its comfortable advantage the rest of the game, riding a ten-point cushion till the end.
Despite the fact that BU got outscored in the paint, the Royals had a great effort from its “bigs” as Dahlquist,
Lindy Parker (Fr., Rosemount, Minn.) and Berscheid helped Bethel outrebound the Scots 21-18 in the second period, adding to a 39-34 advantage throughout the contest. The Royals also outscored Macalester 16-2 from its bench players, as Katelyn Thomsen (So., Askov, Minn.) had the hot hand from the perimeter again, hitting two-of-three from downtown for eight points.
Sheley finished the game with a dynamic double-double, cashing in on 26 points and 11 rebounds, on 7-of-19 shooting from the floor and 9-of-9 from the foul line. Berscheid composed a nine-point, five-rebound effort, while
Kelly Swenson and Thomsen each finished with eight.
Bethel will square off against Carleton College Monday night at home, as the Knights come to the Robertson Center Gym for a 7:30 p.m. affair. The Royals will look to swing its two-game skid into a two-game win-streak with the conference matchup.
