BOX SCORE
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. - A 44-31 second-half stomp and a shooting percentage of 53.7 pushed the Royals over the edge as BU defeated Carleton College 74-55 at the Robertson Center Gym Monday evening. The Royals garnered a 20-point effort from
Alicia Montbriand (Jr., Alexandria, Minn.) on eight-of-ten shooting, including three-of-four from beyond the three-point arc. Tonight's contest was the second time in its last three games that Montbriand led the team in scoring.
Neither team came out of the gates with an explosive effort as the two were tied at 12 nine minutes into the period. Bethel gave Carleton nothing to feast on going forward, as the Royals outscored the Knights 15-2 over the next seven minutes. The BU push helped Head Coach
Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and his crew hit the midway point with a 30-24 lead.
At the end of one
Taylor Sheley (Sr., Backus, Minn.) led all players with eight points and two rebounds.
Leslie Handzus (Fr., Lakeview, Minn.) came up big as well, connecting on two three-pointers, which helped the Royals compose a 45 percent shooting mark from downtown.
BU opened the second with an 11-4 run that put the Royals ahead 41-28 with 14:24 to play. It was a
Micaella Petrich (So., Rosemount, Minn.) layup that gave Bethel its significant lead. Montbriand added to the lead six minutes later with her third three-bomb of the night, putting the Royals ahead 53-38. Despite a Knight press and different-look 3-2 zone defense, Bethel continued to maintain its lead and finished the game with a 74-55 victory.
Oddly enough the Royals were outscored in the paint and outrebounded throughout the entire game, however, it was Bethel's 12-8 advantage in points-off-turnovers and nearly 59 percent shooting in the second frame that gave BU its sizeable lead. Montbriand finished the half with 16 points, a career high for points scored in one period, while Sheley added another ten.
BU connected on 54.5 percent of its three's throughout the evening, cashing in on 12-of-22 shot attempts from downtown. The Royal's mark of 12 three-pointers made in one game ties a record that was previously hit by the 2003-2004 squad against St. Olaf College.
Behind Montbriand's 20-point, three-rebound, three-assist evening, was Sheley, who manufactured a healthy 18, along with five boards, and two steals. Katelyn Thomsen (So., Askov, Minn.) and
Kelly Swenson (Jr., Dawson, Minn.) also added eight points.
The Royals have its first win streak since rattling off eight straight to start the year. The women's squad looks to make it three straight when traveling to Moorhead, Minn. Wednesday to face the Cobbers of Concordia College. The Cobbers are tied with Bethel for third place at 10-6 in the conference.
