BOX SCORE
ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Bethel University traveled to St. Joseph, Minn. Wednesday evening to take Saint Benedict, who is known for playing extraordinarily tough at home. Oddly enough BU finished the game with a 32.3 shooting percentage and allowed the Blazers to drain 46 percent of its shots, yet the Royals still managed a 58-55 victory over CSB on the road.
Taylor Sheley (Sr., Backus, Minn.) delivered 21 points, although not on the highest shooting percentage, and pulled down seven rebounds as the Royals remained in the hunt for postseason play with an exceptional victory away from the Robertson Center Gym.
BU began the game with the lead on a Kristi Nye (Jr., Brentwood, Tenn.) jumper that put the Royals ahead 2-0. Bethel never trailed the rest of the game, as BU did an outstanding job putting points on the board early.
Nicole Berscheid finished a jump shot that capped a 14-3 run for the Royals to begin the game. The Blazers recovered though, recording a 12-3 run that narrowed the gap to one. Sheley tickled the twine with a three-pointer in the next possession, which gave the Royals a bit of breathing room to finish the frame. BU went into the locker room with a 31-25 lead, thanks to back-to-back field goals for Katelyn Thomsen (So., Askov, Minn.).
Sheley led all scorers in the first half with 12 points and three rebounds, while
Kiah Dahlquist (Fr., St. Cloud, Minn.) finished the period with six points and six rebounds.
The Royals lead dwindled in the second half, as the Blazers came back to tie the game twice at both the 14 and 13-minute point, but both times Bethel respond, first with a Nye bucket followed by a
Micaella Petrich (So., Rosemount, Minn.) layup. BU stretched its lead to nine at 5:58, but play never got out of reach as CSB got to within one with just over a minute to play and then again 30 seconds later, but two free throws by Sheley iced the 58-55 win over Saint Benedict.
Bethel's greatest asset during Wednesday's MIAC affair was its 37-28 rebounding advantage. The Royals hauled down 15 offensive rebounds, which led to a 17-2 advantage in second-chance points.
Kiah Dahlquist was a large piece to the rebounding puzzle, finishing with seven points and nine rebounds. Sheley and Dahlquist both ripped five offensive rebounds down. Sheley's 21 points led all scorers, including 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.
The Royals are now tied for fifth place with an 11-8 MIAC record, and stand two games ahead of the next closest competitor.
Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and his squad host Hamline University Saturday in the final home game of the 2011-12 season. The “Senior Day” game is set to tip off at 1 p.m.
