BOX SCORE
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Kyle Zimmerman (So., Champlin, Minn.) made a monumental block with under ten seconds remaining in the MIAC contest between the Royals and Saint John's University that helped BU secure a 67-63 win over the Johnnies. Senior
Daniel Baah (Sr., Farmington, Minn.) finished SJU with two daggers from the charity stripe that gave Bethel the four-point margin and critical victory. Coming into tonight's battle, the Johnnies had won four straight, including a win at St. Thomas. BU squashed the consecutive wins streak though with the help of a 33-25 rebound advantage and 47 percent shooting.
The Royals started right from the get-go, starting the competition on a 12-2 run. Bethel maintained its sizeable lead all the way until the 12-minute mark when
Quinn Gorski (So., Batavia, Ill.) delivered a layup that put BU ahead 22-9. It wasn't smooth sailing, however, as SJU battled back on the wings of its own 16-0 run over a five-minute stretch. The run closed the sizeable gap and led to a 31-31 tie at the end of the first period.
Bethel outscored Saint John's 14-4 in first half in points in the paint, thanks in part to
Taylor Hall (Jr., Blaine, Minn.) and Kyle Zimmerman, who both added six points. Zimmerman was an animal, recording six first-half rebounds. D-Baah also played a significant role in the first frame as well, hitting three-of-three shots for seven points.
Play was deadlocked the rest of the game. In fact since the 9:43 mark in the first half, no team led by more than four until the clock read 6:11 in the second. At which point, the Johnnies claimed a 59-54 lead.
Greg Meyer (Jr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) hit a baseline three-pointer in the next possession that brought the Royals within two and the Robertson Center fans to its feet. Saint John's extended it's lead to 63-59 with 3:23, but BU closed the door the rest of the way and didn't allow the Johnnies to score any more points down the stretch. Bethel, however, went on an 8-0 run that sealed the 67-63 victory in favor of the home team.
The Royals 19-14 rebounding advantage in the second helped limit second-chance points for SJU and more scoring opportunities for themselves. Baah added 10 more in the frame, including two-of-two from beyond the three-point arc. Hall also delivered eight more, while “Zim” tallied five points and seven rebounds.
Head Coach Jeff Westlund and his team made its greatest strides down low Wednesday night, as Bethel out-dueled Saint John's 26-14 in points in the paint. BU also received great help from its extra legs, outscoring SJU 18-9 in team bench points.
Daniel Baah finished with 17 points, five assists, four rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. Baah was helped greatly by Kyle Zimmerman, who finished with nine points and 13 rebounds, while
Taylor Hall finished with 14 points and three rebounds.
BU still stands in seventh place, despite its victory tonight, but is breathing down both the fifth and sixth place teams. The Royals will travel to St. Paul Saturday for a key 3 p.m. matchup versus Hamline University, who is the sixth place team in the MIAC.
