ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – As the Royals continue to push forward the rest of the season without their second and third leading scorer it fell to St. Olaf Saturday 69-57. BU trailed at the half by three points, 39-36, yet failed to close the gap in the second period when the Oles spotted off a 14-6 run that finished off Bethel University's strong effort. Coach Jeff Westlund and his coaching staff received even worse news in the second period when leading scorer Kyle Zimmerman (So., Champlin, Minn.) went down with a high ankle sprain.

With the help of the crowd and great ball movement the Royals started the game with great control. Leading 9-4 three minutes into the game, JD Robinson (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) hit a jumper that propelled the Royals to its biggest lead of the game. The Oles quietly snuck back and tied the score at 18-18 with 12 minutes to play. BU regained the lead for the next three minutes, yet surrendered the lead with 8:58 remaining. Play remained close the rest of the frame, but St. Olaf hit a free-throw to stretch its lead to three at the end of the half, 39-36.

Both teams managed 10 points in the paint in the opening 20 minutes, and Bethel utilized its already depleted bench to outscore the Ole bench 18-7. Each team shot the ball exceptionally well, however, Bethel went above-and-beyond finishing the first half nearly 60 percent from the floor. Zimmerman and Bjorn Westlund (Jr., Mounds View, Minn.) led the Royals with five points.

St. Olaf opened the second period with a three-pointer that put the Oles ahead by six – a lead they would not come close to giving up. In fact, the Royals allowed St. Olaf to start the second half on a 14-2 run, making the point differential 15 points with 13:49 to play. Both teams matched point for point going forward to the three-minute mark when the Oles stretch its lead to 21. From that point on, though, it was BU who closed out the game on a 9-0 run, finishing the score at 69-57. 

The Ole's bench stepped up in the second period, outscoring the Royals bench 12-6. Bethel took advantage of more second chance points as well as points off turnovers, however. Robinson paced BU in the second with six points, while Quinn Gorski (So., Batavia, Ill.) added five and three boards.

Robinson led all Royal players with 10 total points and two rebounds. Gorski finished with nine points and a season-high six rebounds. Sophomore Luke Buttenhoff (So., Watertown, Minn.) finished with nine and six as well. The Royals cooled off in the second period, to finish 39 percent from the floor. BU did an remarkable job from the charity stripe, sinking 9-of-12 shots from the free-throw line.

Now without its three best scorers and four of its five starters Bethel University's men's basketball squad looks to regroup, analyze its game plan, and focus on what's ahead. The Royals will face Saint Mary's Wednesday evening in Winona at 7:30 p.m., where BU will attempt to move forward.