BOX SCORE
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. - The Royals end its eight-game win-streak Wednesday night at the hands of Saint Benedict , who finished the game shooting 60 percent from the floor with 44 points in the paint. For Bethel it is the first conference loss of the season and only the second loss in the 2011-12 campaign. The Blazers pushed the point spread to 19 at one point in the contest, and despite a BU run late, the Blazers finished the game with the 66-56 advantage.
The first half showcased nine ties and five lead changes, as both teams were finding ways to score immediately. In the opening five minutes of the game the two teams had combined for twenty points, as the Royals managed to step ahead of the Blazers with 15:37 in the half, 11-9. The margin remained minimal throughout the entirety of the half, as neither team lead by more than four until the final minute when the blazers hit a layup to go into the locker room with the 34-29 advantage.
CSB set the tone early as the Blazers composed 26 points in the paint throughout the first 20 minutes, on 70 percent shooting. The Royals had a tough time finding an answer for Sam Larsen who manufactured 12 first-half points and six rebounds. BU, however, did take advantage of scoring off turnovers as Bethel outscored its opponents 13-2 in points off CSB errors. The Royals were perfect from the free-throw line in four attempts, yet struggled to find any rhythm from beyond the three-point arc as Bethel finished one-for-nine from downtown.
The Blazers started to pull away immediately in the second half, extending its five-point lead at the half to 13 points in the opening six minutes of the second frame. The Royals tried to answer as Taylor Sheley (Sr., Backus, Minn.) drained a bucket to narrow the gap, however, CSB continued to pour it on leading 54-35 with 11:40 left in the game. Credit Bethel, though, as they were in it until the end. The Royals trailed by 10 points with 1:31 left on the clock and grabbed two offensive rebounds on consecutive possessions, but was not able to convert those critical boards into points.
Saint Benedict continued to outscore the Royals in the paint 18-8 in the final 20 minutes, but would not allow Bethel to capitolize on as many points-off-turnovers. Sheley managed 11 second-half points for BU, yet the Royals offense combined for 31 percent shooting from the floor in the second period.
Sheley led Bethel with 20 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals throughout the game, and received great contributions from Kelly Swenson (Jr., Dawson, Minn.) and Kiah Dahlquist (Fr., St. Cloud, Minn.). Swenson poured in 10 points, grabbed seven boards, swiped two steals and dished an assist, while Dahlquist tallied 10 points herself with three boards. BU converted on 15-of-19 attempts from the charity stripe, but finished the game shooting just under 36 percent shooting from the floor.
Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and his crew look to make it nine of ten wins Saturday when the Royals welcome St. Olaf to the Robertson Center Gym. The matchup between the two will be Bethel's third straight home game of the week. The Oles also will be playing its third game of the week, after coming off a 66-51 win over Concordia College Wednesday night. Tip-off Saturday is set for 1 p.m.
