Box Score

ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—Bethel University's men's basketball team suffered its first loss in conference play Wednesday night, as Carleton College shot 62.5 percent from the floor to edge BU, 76-74. The Royals (6-2, 3-1 MIAC) trailed 29-36 at the half, but despite fighting for the lead late in the second half, they fell two points shy of the Knights (3-4, 2-1 MIAC) in the end.
 
Bethel University shot a modest 42.9 percent from the field against Carleton, including 6-of-18 from downtown, but the Knights countered with 30-of-48 from the floor and 4-of-10 from beyond the arc. The Royals, who've been averaging 21.9 free throws per game, got to the charity stripe but just nine times—connecting on eight attempts.
 
BU continued to dominate defensively, as they forced Carleton into 18 turnovers, including 10 in the second half. On the flip side, Bethel committed just four mistakes throughout the 40 minutes of play and bargained 13 steals—five from Brycen Wojta.
 
Bethel led 68-64 with 3:21 remaining in the contest, but an 8-0 run by the Knights quickly extinguished the Royals momentum and allowed Carleton just enough to capture their first road victory.
 
Brycen Wojta led Bethel with a game-high 21 points, along with five steals, three assists, and two rebounds. Kyle Zimmermann recorded his third double-double of the season with his 20-point, 13-rebound performance. Zimmermann hauled in an astonishing nine offensive rebounds. Trevor Hall added 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, along with four rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
 
The Royals will welcome nonconference foe, Martin Luther College, Saturday afternoon for a 3 p.m. tipoff at the Robertson Center Gym.