NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Trailing by one point with less than a minute to go in the game, BU surrendered a three-pointer to Addy Bates of St. Olaf, who finished the game with two field goals, sealing the 59-55 loss to the Oles. Bethel forced 17 turnovers, however, was outrebounded 35-27 and only composed a 2-of-18 mark from downtown, leading to the four-point deficit on the road in the Skoglund Center.
The Royals trailed 21-18 at the end of the first, as neither team shot the ball particularly well. BU, for instance, made 6-of-23 buckets and 1-of-10 from the outer arc, putting the Bethel shooting percentage at 26.
BU picked it up in the second though, capturing the lead one minute into the second period. The Royals held its lead firmly as Nicole Berschied (So., Holdingford, Minn.) finished a layup in the paint to give the Bethel its largest lead of the game, 34-28. A 9-0 run for St. Olaf handed the momentum right back to the hosts as the Oles never lost control the rest of the game. The Royals had the game within one with 1:16 to play, but the Bates three-ball boosted the St. Olaf lead to four and BU was never able to rebound.
Bethel finished the game shooting 38 percent, completing 48 percent of its shots in the second period. BU netted 15-of-20 shots from the charity stripe, but couldn't hit the critical shots necessary to steal a road victory.
Taylor Sheley (Sr., Backus, Minn.) finished with a game-high 21 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Kristi Nye (Jr., Brentwood, Tenn.) added a healthy dozen in 18 minutes.
With a 10-8 conference record, BU now holds the No. 6 seed in the MIAC – just one game ahead of Augsburg College, who is having its best season to date. The Royals will need to close out the season with a spark if they hope to get into the postseason, starting with a tough matchup on the road against St. Benedict Wednesday evening in St. Joseph.
