BOX SCORE
NORTHFIELD, Minn. – After winning a season-best four straight games Bethel University was delivered a taste of its own medicine Monday night when falling to Carleton College on a buzzer-beater three-pointer 54-52. The Knight's drained 42 percent of its shots taken and held the Royals to 38 percent on its way to only its fourth win within conference play. On the flip side, BU drops to 6-7 in MIAC play after just evening its record at 6-6 last Saturday.
The Royals were held scoreless from beyond the three-point line, missing eight shots from downtown, dropping its season total to just 34 percent. Bethel made up for it from the charity stripe, however, completing 16-of-18 free throws.
A trio of BU players scored in double figures, including
Taylor Hall (Jr., Blaine, Minn.),
Greg Meyer (Jr., Brooklyn Center, Minn.), and
Daniel Baah (Sr., Farmington, Minn.). Hall finished with 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting, while hitting all four of his shots from the foul line. Meyer provided 11 points and six boards off the bench, helping the Royals outscore Carleton 20-5 in bench points. Baah finished the contest with 10 points and three rebounds, a steal, and an assist.
The Royal's offense wasn't enough though, as BU's defense couldn't handle Tom Sawatzke and Scott Theisen of the Knights. Sawatzke and Theisen finished with 17 and 16, respectively, while combining for 13 boards and six assists. The pair helped Carleton shoot 42 percent from the floor, yet the Knight's struggled from the foul line, converting just four-of-eight opportunities.
Late in the second half, BU found itself trailing by nine with 5:42 left in the frame and rallied off a 12-3 run that put the Royals ahead 52-51 with 1:21 to play, but Bethel couldn't find the bucket necessary to win in the end, leaving the door open for a potential game winner from the Carleton bench. It was Sawatzke that hit the dagger as time expired.
The Royals travel to Moorhead, Minn. to face Concordia College on Wednesday evening. Bethel will try to salvage a victory, improving to 5-1 in its last six games as it tips off against the Cobbers at 7:45 p.m.
