ST. PAUL—Bethel University's men's basketball team utilized a 43-27 push in the second half to top Macalester College on the road Wednesday night 76-55. The Royals, who improved to 9-3 overall and 5-2 in MIAC play following the victory, shot 52.6 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from downtown in the 21-point win.
 
BU led 33-28 at the half, but a monster final 20 minutes proved to be too much for the hosting Scots down the stretch. Bethel made 4-of-6 shot attempts (66.7%) from outside the 3-point arc and 17-of-26 (65.4%) from the floor in the second half. After Macalester trimmed the Royals lead to two points with 19:16 remaining in the frame, BU went off on a 19-6 run over the next seven minutes and established a 15-point cushion thanks to the excellent shooting.
 
Brycen Wojta had an incredible performance against the Scots, as the sophomore guard out of Maple Grove scored 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting, while assisting three other BU buckets. This is the third time in the last five games Wojta has put up more than 20 points, which is giving him a 19.2 point-per-game average since December 20 (Wojta averaged 13.1 points in the first seven games).
 
Also adding to Bethel's bottom line was Kyle Zimmermann and Kyle von Schmidt-Pauli, who each scored in double figures. Zimmermann made it 18 straight games that he has scored in double figures when playing the whole game, by scoring 14 points and boarding seven shot attempts. Meanwhile, VSP poured in 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting with six rebounds and a pair of blocks.
 
Bridgeport Tusler accumulated nine points, seven steals, and six assists in the win. He was a tremendous asset in helping BU outscore Macalester 25-10 in points off turnovers as well as 10-2 in fast-break points. The Royals also dominated the Scots in the points in the paint category (36-22) as well as second-chance points (13-6).
 
Bethel closes out their four-game road trip this Saturday, when they travel to Northfield, Minn., to take on Carleton College at 3 p.m. After their weekend matinee against the Knights, BU returns home Monday for a 7 p.m. showdown with the University of St. Thomas. All fans are encouraged to wear their favorite jersey to the game for the second annual jersey-out.