STORM LAKE, Iowa—What began as a promising night for the Bethel University men's basketball team finished on a sour note, as the Royals fell on the road to Buena Vista University 74-94. BU trailed the Beavers by just three at the half, but a 24-6 run for BVU to begin the second half—behind four 3-pointers and two more 3-point plays in the seven-minute time frame—quickly dampened Bethel's hopes of capturing a road victory.
 
The high-scoring affair featured a total of 14 3-pointers for the Beavers, as the hosting squad shot 14-of-22 (63.6) from downtown and 33-of-53 (62.3) from the floor en route to the 20-point margin. The Royals connected on 30-of-64 (46.9) shot opportunities and finished respectably from long range (7-of-21), but five players in double figures for BVU proved to be too much in the end.
 
BU forced Buena Vista into 21 turnovers, opposed to the Royals 13, which paid dividends, as Bethel was able to outscore the Beavers 24-18 in points off turnovers. Additionally, the Royals' bench amassed 36 bench points, opposed to BVU's 32. Incoming football players played a pivotal role in this area as Bridgeport Tusler dropped 14 points in his first game as a Royal on 5-of-6 shooting and a 3-of-3 mark from downtown. Jackson Canfield also added a 3-pointer in his limited court time.
 
Kyle von Schmidt-Pauli led the team throughout the night with 17 points and seven rebounds—shooting 7-of-10 from the floor. Kyle Zimmermann supplemented BU with 11 points, six boards, three assists, and three steals in 29 minutes of play. Bryce Wojta and Derek Hamner each added eight points with Wojta adding three steals and two assists to his stat sheet and Hamner hauling down three boards.
 
Bethel will seek to avenge their nonconference loss next Wednesday, when they travel just down Snelling Ave. to face the University of Northwestern-St. Paul in a highly anticipated matchup. Tipoff between the Eagles and the Royals is scheduled for 7 p.m.