NORTHFIELD, Minn.—The Bethel University women's basketball team punched a ticket to their third consecutive MIAC Playoff appearance thanks to Wednesday night's 72-59 road victory at Carleton College. The Royals (15-9, 11-6 MIAC), who needed one win in their final two games or one loss from an opposing conference team to secure a postseason spot, took matters into their own hands by defeating the Knights (4-20, 1-16 MIAC) by 13 points.
 
Bethel's trio of post players dominated the stat sheet throughout the midweek matchup. Rachel Parupsky recorded her 35th career double-double with 12 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks, which gives the senior post player 13 blocks in the last three contests.
 
In addition to Parupsky's double-double, Kalli Zimmermann had a team-high 19 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while Molly O'Toole finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes played off the bench.
 
As a team, Bethel outrebounded Carleton 44-32, including a 12-4 spread in offensive boards. That gap led to a 16-4 spread in second chance points and a 38-30 margin in points scored in the paint. BU's bench also outscored the Knights 31-12 in bench points.
 
The Royals shot 48.3 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from the 3-point line, but BU was plagued at the free throw line—converting just 10-of-24 attempts from the charity stripe.
 
Meanwhile, the Knights were limited to 36.8 percent shooting and 28.6 percent shooting from outside the arc. Conversely, Carleton made 15-of-20 from the foul line.
 
Bethel will finish the regular season on Saturday afternoon when they travel down Snelling Ave. to take on Hamline University. The Royals know that they are the No. 5 seed heading into the MIAC Playoffs and after tonight's results the No. 4 seed is has been determined as well. So, BU will be traveling to Concordia College on Tuesday, February 23 to face the Cobbers in the MIAC quarterfinals.