ST. JOSEPH, Minn.—Coming off of a pair of wins in California last week was something that the Bethel University women's basketball team hoped to use as momentum heading into conference action Saturday. However, the Southern California sun wore off quickly, as the College of Saint Benedict limited the Royals to 30 percent shooting throughout the entire game, and BU was never able to catch their breath—falling 55-69 on the road.
 
Bethel shot just 25 percent from the floor in the first half and went 0-for-5 from long range in the same period. Meanwhile, Saint Ben's hit 40 percent of their shots attempted to build a 13-point advantage at the midway mark. The Royals made a concerted effort to get back into the game, despite the wedge between the two teams, but an eight-point margin with under eight minutes left was the closest they could cut it.
 
BU's shooting slump Saturday was unforeseen, as the Royals are coming off of a 54 percent shooting mark in their previous outing against Chapman University this week. Despite the tough day for Bethel, Rachel Parupsky was able to score 17 points and grab eight boards, while Hannah Niewald mustered her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Parupsky shot 7-of-7 from the charity stripe in Saturday's matinee, but the rest of the team finished just 6-of-17.
 
The Royals dominated CSB inside, outscoring the Blazers in points in the paint 34-24. BU also outrebounded their opponent 45-52. But 0-for-11 shooting from outside the arc and 21-of-69 from the floor proved to be too costly down the stretch.
 
Bethel, who is now 2-2 in conference play and 8-3 overall, will look for an answer to today's defeat on Wednesday when traveling to Moorhead, Minn., for a men's and women's double header. The women will tipoff at 5:45 p.m. with the men following 30 minutes after.