ST. PAUL – After one period of play in the MIAC semifinal matchup between Bethel University and the University of St. Thomas the Royals held a narrow 28-27 advantage, however, BU couldn't complete the upset victory Friday evening, falling to UST 74-64. Bethel was riding the high of winning 10 of its last 13 matchups, including a stomp over St. Olaf Wednesday evening in the opening round of the postseason. Yet St. Thomas's ability to shoot 50 percent from the floor, including 43.8 percent from beyond the three-point arc, was too much for BU to overcome Friday night.
Taylor Hall (Jr., Blaine, Minn.) helped Bethel come out of the chute impressively strong. His ten first half points on 3-of-8 shooting and 4-of-4 from the foul stripe allowed the Royals to keep the Tommies close throughout the frame. BU took its first lead of the game on its first make when
JD Robinson (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) buried a three from the baseline to put Bethel up 3-2.
Daniel Baah (Sr., Farmington, Minn.) played the encore role in an ensuing possession when firing from long range at the top of the key, making the score knotted at six. The Royals held the lead over the next four minutes, yet by no greater than two points. In fact, after the 17-minute mark neither team led by more than two points until the clock read 6:20 in the first, when St. Thomas stretched its lead to five 25-20. The Royals nabbed a short-lived two point advantage ten minutes in when Baah swatted a UST layup and managed to advance the ball to Hall, who completed the fast break points with a two-handed slam over Tommie Connor Nord. A 6-0 BU run to end the half helped the blue and gold charge into the midway point with a 28-27 advantage.
Bethel was a perfect 8-for-8 in the opening 20 minutes, which included a healthy contribution from Kyle Zimmerman (So., Champlin, Minn.), who ended the session with six points on 4-of-4 shooting from the foul line. Hall was the only other player to shoot free throws for BU.
Play resumed in the second when the Tommies landed a layup in its opening possession. The one-point UST lead stuck the rest of the game, as Bethel was never able to get the momentum fully swung its way. Baah drained a three-ball and
Luke Buttenhoff (So., Watertown, Minn.) followed with a bucket underneath, trimming the St. Thomas lead to two with 11 minutes left. From there, though, UST composed a 10-4 run that saw the Tommie lead creep to eight. St. Thomas then heightened its advantage to 13 when Will DeBerg delivered a dagger from well beyond the three-point arc with time expiring on the shot clock. BU managed to get back to a three-shot separation with 1:40 to play, but the Tommies were nearly flawless from the charity stripe in the final seconds.
Hall, Baah, and the Royals contributed an exceptional effort in the final half, as play was highly competitive and extremely intense throughout the entire contest. Hall and Baah finished the period with 15 and 13, respectively and Hall added five offensive rebounds. Bethel romped its opponents in the paint throughout the final segment, outscoring St. Thomas 20-12. Furthermore, Bethel took advantage of its opportunities off the offensive glass by owning a 13-4 mark in second-chance points.
Will DeBerg's 18 second-half points on 3-of-4 shooting from downtown and 7-of-8 shooting from the free throw line was too much in the end.
Taylor Hall led Bethel with 25 points, eight rebounds, and two steals.
Daniel Baah added 18 and two, while Zimmerman finished with 11 points and four boards. The Royals ended the season with a shooting mark of 41 percent.
The 2011-12 campaign comes to a close after tonight's loss to St. Thomas. The Tommies will host Gustavus Sunday in the MIAC Championship, which will not only determine the conference champion but also who will receive the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Tournament. After turning in a 7-18 record one year ago, BU rebounded phenominally with a 16-11 finish and a MIAC playoff berth.
