Box Score

ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—Bethel University's men's basketball team dazzled the Robertson Center Gym Friday night in their home debut, as the Royals (1-1, 0-0 MIAC) topped the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 74-67.
 
After a 6-6 tie 5:21 into the game, Bethel surged ahead thanks in part to a 21-7 run over a 7:53 time span. A balanced scoring attack throughout that time frame was led by Brycen Wojta and Edward Scott, who recorded five and four points respectively.
 
Wojta (Woit-ah) went on to finish the contest with 21 points, four assists, and two rebounds. The freshman point guard was 7-of-8 from the foul line and 7-of-11 from the floor. Wojta was joined in double figures by Trevor Hall, who collected 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Together, the two shot 11-of-18 (61.1 percent) from the field.
 
Senior Kyle Zimmermann played in his first game of the season and nearly tripped the double-double trigger—finishing with eight points and nine rebounds against the Blugolds. Zimmermann also added three blocks, two steals, and two assists to his balanced stat sheet in 23 minutes.
 
UW-Eau Claire didn't go away silently in Friday evening's second game of the double-feature event. The Blugolds cut Bethel's lead to five points with 3:38 left in the game, but the Royals outlasted UW-EC down the stretch.
 
BU showcased its depth in the nonconference affair—outscoring their opponent in bench points 23-9. Moreover, its defense forced UW-Eau Claire into 13 turnovers—resulting in a 17-10 advantage in points off turnovers.

Bethel will take on the winner of Friday's first game—Luther College—in the championship game of the Bethel University Tip-Off Tournament. The Norse and the Royals are scheduled to tip-off Saturday evening's finale at 8 p.m. The two losers from Friday's games—Marian College and UW-Eau Claire—will face off at 6 p.m. Live stats and webcast will be available for both events.