Box Score

ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—A 36-9 run to begin the second half ignited a fired-up Bethel University men's hoops squad, as they went on to take down Saint John's University at home Saturday 66-51. The Royals (12-7, 8-6 MIAC) trailed the Johnnies (9-9, 7-6 MIAC) 23-28 at the half, but seven steals and 55.6 percent shooting in the second frame sparked BU throughout the final 20 minutes.
 
Luke Buttenhoff turned in another solid performance for the Royals, converting 6-of-11 shots for 17 points, while hauling down seven boards and swiping three steals. He and the Bethel unit tallied a combined 12 steals throughout the game, which led to the significant second-half surge. BU collected three steals in consecutive SJU series and scored on all three possessions. Besides Buttenhoff, Brycen Wojta also gathered three steals, while Aden Casey and Quinn Gorski each had two.

At one point in the second period, Bethel scored in eight straight possessions. As if that wasn't enought to pump the home crowd up, the Royals held Saint John's to a total of seven second-half points in the first 13 minutes of the frame.
 
Tyler Schmidt paced the Royals from downtown, going a perfect 3-of-3 from long range for nine points. Schmidt helped BU finish the game 7-of-14 from outside the arc, while the team also finished 50 percent (25-of-50) from the floor. Brycen Wojta and Quinn Gorski each added eight points to Bethel's final tally, while Jackson Canfield and Trevor Hall both dropped in seven.
 
Collectively, the Royals outscored the Johnies inside 34-24 and owned the points off turnover margin 14-7. As a unit, Bethel's bench finished the game with 28 points, while also acquiring 11 second-chance points.
 
With the win, Bethel improves to 8-6 and jumps a half-game ahead of SJU in the conference standings. The Royals—now in fifth place—have six matchups remaining in the regular season, with four of those six against teams ahead of them in the league rankings. BU begins its crazy finish against Carleton on the road Monday night in West Gymnasium with tipoff scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.