ST. PETER, Minn. – Today marked the final day of the women's basketball regular season as the Royals traveled to St. Peter, Minn. to take on the Gusties of Gustavus Adolphus College. Bethel held the lead throughout the opening ten minutes of the game when facing the No. 2 team in the MIAC, but fell in the end 70-53. BU only mustered a 39 percent shooting mark, while the Gusties drained over 50 percent of its shots throughout the contest.
In the first period, the Royals took the lead to start the game on a
Kiah Dahlquist (Fr., St. Cloud, Minn) bucket and maintained the advantage until the 9:24 mark in the first period. GAC took over from that point, putting together a 27-8 run over the final nine minutes of the frame. The Gusties full court press forced a number of BU turnovers that Gustavus turned into a plethora of points.
Kelly Swenson (Jr., Dawson, Minn.) carried the Royals early with five points, while
Taylor Sheley (Sr., Backus, Minn.) and Katelyn Thomsen (So., Askov, Minn.) each had four. Bethel was forced into 13 first half giveaways, while the Gusties recorded five takeaways.
In the second frame Gustavus Adolphus increased its lead to 16 with just under 17 minutes to play, however, BU never showed quit. The Royals composed a 12-2 run on the heels of Sheley that brought Bethel to within six with 12:16 to play. The comeback train slowed down though, as the Gusties heightened its advantage back up to 19 with four minutes remaining. The Royals never could recover and were sent home with the 70-53 defeat.
Taylor Sheley finished the second with eight points, while
Alicia Montbriand (Jr., Alexandria, Minn.) finished with seven and three rebounds. Bethel rebounded from a 33 percent shooting mark in the first with 43 percent shooting in the second half, as BU hit 13-of-30 shots and outrebounded Gustavus 17-11 in the 20-minute segment.
For the game Sheley led the Royals again with 12 points and five rebounds, while both Montbriand and Swenson both finished with 10 points. Montbriand also recorded six rebounds. Gustavus's biggest advantage came off turnovers, as the Gusties converted 19 BU miscues into 18 points. GAC also outscored BU in the paint 38-20.
Bethel will play Concordia in Moorhead, Minn. Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The last time these two opponents squared off the Royals lost by two points to the Cobbers in Moorhead, Minn. on February 1.
