ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—After an overtime thriller took place in Collegeville earlier in the season between Bethel and Saint John's, fans knew they would be in for a treat when the Royals (13-5, 8-5 MIAC) hosted the Johnnies (14-5, 9-5 MIAC) in Arden Hills Saturday. The afternoon affair turned into a back court duel between SJU's Alex Schmitt and BU's Brycen Wojta, but in the end it was Wojta and the Royals that walked away victorious.
 
Alex Schmitt led all scorers with 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including a 7-of-8 mark from the foul line and a 3-of-6 result from outside the arc. At one point, Schmitt was 8-of-11 and 3-of-4 from downtown. Brycen Wojta matched Schmitt with a 25-point effort for the Royals on 9-of-16 shooting from the floor and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. Wojta also contributed five rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes played.
 
What was a slow game offensively in the first half, quickly turned around in the second frame. Bethel went into the locker room with a 31-27 lead and still held a 50-45 advantage in the second period. BU shot 48.5 percent from the floor in the second half, opposed to an 11-of-29 (37.9%) product in the first.
 
Where the Royals dominated was on the glass. Bethel out-rebounded Saint John's 41-32, including a 12-4 difference in offensive boards. That distinction gave BU a 10-6 advantage in second chance points and a 40-28 result in points in the paint. Bethel also forced SJU into nine turnovers, opposed to their five, which led to a 17-8 outcome in points scored off of turnovers.
 
In addition to Wojta, Bridgeport Tusler gave Bethel an excellent contribution with 18 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Tusler, who averaged 12.2 points per game in the first 10 contests, has averaged 16.4 points in the last seven.
 
Also scoring in double figures for the Royals was Trevor Hall and Tim Hanson. Hall poured in 13 points, while Hanson scored 10 off the bench with five rebounds. Derek Magnuson gave BU eight points, eight boards, two blocks, and two steals in 23 minutes of play.
 
Now 12-5 overall and 8-5 against MIAC opponents, Bethel is tied for fifth, but stands just a half game back of second place. The road to the finish doesn't get easier, though, as the Royals next contest is against St. Olaf at home on Wednesday, February 3 at 7 p.m. The Oles are 11-8 overall and 9-5 in conference play.