ST. PETER, Minn.—Bethel University's men's basketball team may have stolen a win away from Gustavus Adolphus back on January 21 thanks to Brycen Wojta's buzzer beater, but the Golden Gusties wouldn't even allow the game to get that close Monday night in St. Peter. The Royals possessed a one-point lead at the half, however GAC outscored BU 42-31 in the second and shot their way to a 77-67 final at the Gus Young Court.
 
Bethel's squad had nothing to worry about offensively, as the Royals finished the contest shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line. Defensively, though, BU struggled to contain Gustavus, as they finished 64.0 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point land.
 
Bridgeport Tusler continued to lead the team in steals, as his three against the Gusties were part of the Royals' 10 total. Bethel's takeaways led to a 16-10 advantage in points off of turnovers, but GAC overcame BU with a 32-11 margin in bench points. Also, it was one of the rare occasions this season that the Royals had been outscored in the paint 40-36.
 
Kyle von Schmidt-Pauli led BU with a game-high 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 2-of-3 from downtown. VSP was 5-of-5 from the free throw line and boarded four Gustie shots. Kyle Zimmermann scored in double figures once again, finishing the game with 15 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Bethel's final player to score in double figures was Bridgeport Tusler, who went 5-of-9 from the field for 12 points, alongside five boards and three steals.
 
Four players on the GAC squad finished in double figures, but it was Chad Poppin that led the home team with 14 points. Peter Kruize and Sergio Najera collectively scored 23 points off the bench.

Bethel, who had already clinched a postseason berth last Saturday, will look to right the ship Wednesday night. The task gets even taller, however, as the Royals travel to the University of St. Thomas for a 7 p.m. matchup at Schoenecker Arena.