Box Score  | Video highlights

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The Bethel University men's basketball team had five players score in double figures in a convincing 82-62 victory over Gustavus Adolphus College Wednesday night in the Robertson Center Gymnasium. The Royals got another strong performance from Taylor Hall (Sr., Blaine, Minn.), the reigning MIAC Athlete of the Week, who finished with a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds to go along with six assists and two blocked shots. Bethel shot nearly 60% from the field for the game, including 8-15 (53.3%) from three-point range, to pull away from the Gusties who managed just a 35.2% field goal percentage and were just 6-20 (30%) from beyond the arc.
 
For the first five minutes the game went back and forth, with Gustavus taking a 10-9 lead after a steal and a Jim Hill basket. That would be the Gusties last lead of the night however, as a three by JD Robinson (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) put the Royals on top and a Hall dunk ensued, as the Royals went on a 7-0 run to stretch their lead to 21-14 after a Jared Nelson (Fr., Lino Lake, Minn.) three. Four buckets in the paint combined with a three by Derek Wolhowe (Jr., Staples, Minn.) mixed in put the Royals lead at 32-24 with 4:26 remaining in the first half. The Royals lead swelled to as many as 15 at 41-26 after a Quinn Gorski (Jr., Batavia, Ill.) jumper. Hill hit a three with 52 seconds remaining in the half for the Gusties and the score remained 41-29 going into halftime.
 
The Royals didn't let up in the second half, as they never led by fewer than 12 and stretched their lead to as many as 27 with 8:34 remaining. Robinson, Nelson and Aden Casey (Fr., Side Lake, Minn.) all hit three pointers, and Robinson drained all three free throws after being fouled on a three point attempt during the second half surge.
 
Hall's 21 points led a balanced Bethel scoring attack. Wolhowe put in 14 points off the bench on 6-8 shooting, including 2-3 from three-point range. Robinson scored 11 and Zimmerman and Casey each contributed 10. Nelson connected on a pair of three's and finished with six points. Gustavus' Jim Hill led all scorers with 23 points.
 
With the victory the Royals improved to 7-6 in MIAC play, bringing them into a three-way tie for fifth place with Gustavus and Saint John's. Bethel will host Carleton College Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. The Knights sit a half-game ahead of the Royals at 7-5 in the standings and are coming off a 79-72 victory over third place Concordia.