ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—A 31-18 spread that favored Gustavus Adolphus College in first-half rebounds allowed the Gusties (13-5, 8-3 MIAC) to build a 46-29 advantage at the midway mark. Despite a valiant second-half effort by the Bethel University women's basketball team, the Royals (10-8, 6-5 MIAC) suffered a 65-79 loss in the Robertson Center Gym—just their fourth home loss in the last three years.
 
Trailing by 17 after the opening two quarters of play, BU outscored GAC 20-12 in the third quarter and looked at a nine-point deficit going into the final 10 minutes of play. But Gustavus heightened its lead to 14 in the opening four minutes of the fourth quarter and never looked back.
 
The Gusties out-rebounded the Royals 52-38 throughout the night, which led to a 30-22 difference in points scored in the paint. Moreover, GAC outscored Bethel 19-8 in points off of turnovers and 39-19 in bench points.
 
BU finished the MIAC matchup shooting 35.7 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from downtown. Rachel Parupsky and Sydney Schultz led the way with 13 points each on a collective 8-of-18 shooting. Parupsky added three rebounds, three blocks, and two assists to her final stat line. Hannah Niewald recorded eight points, eight rebounds, and two assists.
 
Gustavus's Mikayla Miller finished with a game-high 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
 
The Royals go on the road for their next three games, where they'll face Saint Benedict, St. Olaf, and Macalester in succession over the next week and a half. Saturday's matinee against the Blazers is set to tipoff at 3 p.m.