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COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Tied for fourth place with equal 8-6 conference records heading into Wednesday night's rematch between Bethel University and Saint John's University, SJU held on late to capture its seventh straight win, edging the BU 89-82.
The Royals (12-8, 8-7 MIAC) finished the night with a 46.6 shooting mark from the floor, including 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from the perimeter, but it wasn't enough, as the Johnnies (10-10, 9-6 MIAC) finishing with a shooting percentage of 51.9—including 60 percent in the first half—and 52.2 from long range.
Despite trailing 37-43 at the intermission break, Bethel fought back in the second period with a 20-9 run to begin the opening eight minutes of the second half. However, a 57-52 lead was not enough, as the Johnnies continued to hit 3-pointers down the stretch—especially Chris Neumann, who finished with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
No team demanded an advantage in points off turnovers, second chance points, points in the paint, or fast break points, but where the Johnnies separated themselves came in bench points. SJU's Alex Schmitt finished 5-of-10 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the foul line for 18 bench points. Saint John's also got the Royals in foul trouble, as two BU players fouled out and two more ended the affair with four blunders.
Bethel combatted Neumann and Schmitt with
Taylor Hall (Sr., Blaine, Minn.), who finished 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) from the floor and 10-of-15 (66.6 percent) from the foul line for 27 points, eight rebounds, and four assists—but fouled out with 0:51 left in the contest. In addition to Hall, it was
JD Robinson (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) with a 6-of-10 effort from downtown for 18 points, two rebounds and a steal. Kyle Zimmeran (Jr., Champlin, Minn.) added nine points and five boards.
The Royals will need to forget Wednesday night's loss quickly, as they travel to Northfield, Minn., Saturday to take on St. Olaf College—a team still fighting for a postseason spot. Bethel is now tied for fifth with an 8-7 record in conference play, alongside Gustavus Adolphus.
