Box Score

ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—The Bethel University women's basketball team closed its regular season sensationally, as they got revenge on St. Olaf College—a team that had defeated them earlier in the year—with a 62-55 victory at home.
 
The Royals (19-6, 17-5 MIAC) completed what is believed to be the biggest conference turnaround in NCAA history, as Saturday's victory over the Oles (14-11, 12-10 MIAC) was BU's 17th in league play—12 more than one year ago. Only two other teams nationwide had won 11 more contests in loop play, but no one had won 12 more in back-to-back seasons.
 
The women's matinee was decided by who made the fewest mistakes. Bethel forced St. Olaf into 21 turnovers, thanks in part to 10 steals. This created 22 points off turnovers, opposed to the Oles' eight points off turnovers.
 
Katelyn Vavra and Rachel Parupsky started the Royals' scoring, as the two, collectively, scored the team's first 16 points. Despite a 16-7 lead after the first 11:02, Bethel surrendered a 19-13 run to the Oles, who trimmed the margin to three at the half.
 
St. Olaf took the lead with 17:57 remaining in the game and held on to it for the next eight minutes, but an 8-0 surge for BU gave Bethel enough to take the lead and never look back. Lexi Friesen scored six of her sixteen total points in the run.
 
Also joining Friesen with 16 points was Parupsky, who finished the competition with 16 points, eight rebounds, six blocks, and for assists. Freshman Kalli Zimmermann contributed 12 points, seven boards, four assists, and four steals.
 
Hannah Niewald drained 4-of-6 attempts from the charity stripe for eight points and six rebounds, while Katelyn Vavra finished with six points. Vavra and Micaella Petrich were both honored in Bethel's senior day celebration prior to the game.
 
The Royals ended the matchup with 20 points in the paint, 12 points off the fast break, and 27 off the bench.
 
Ironically, Bethel will face St. Olaf in their very next game, as the Royals, who finished fourth in the conference standings, host the Oles in the first round of the 2014 MIAC Playoffs Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday's showdown will be the first time Bethel hosted a postseason game since the 1996-97 campaign.