ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—Bethel University and the University of St. Thomas—both teams receiving votes in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll—gave fans in attendance a roller coaster experience Wednesday night, as each team battled back from significant deficits. It was the Tommies (8-3, 4-2 MIAC), in the end, that finished on top, as they handed the Royals (9-2, 5-1 MIAC) an 83-74 setback and ended BU's nine-game winning streak.
Bethel trailed St. Thomas 18-12 after the opening 6:34, but a 15-4 run gave the Royals a 27-22 advantage with 7:55 remaining in the first half. The Tommies came right back with a 14-4 run that helped them close out the half with a 42-36 lead.
UST increased its margin to 13 with 16:40 remaining, but the Royals showed that Monday's comeback was no fluke. BU went on a 29-14 run over the next nine minutes, which led to a 67-65 advantage with 7:28 left on the clock. But Bethel scored two points in a five-minute span, which led to the eventual nine-point loss.
The Royals outscored St. Thomas 38-28 inside and 22-16 in bench points, but the Tommies held a 12-4 advantage in points off turnovers. UST also outrebounded Bethel 39-33.
BU shot 48.3 percent from the floor, but finished just 31.8 percent from downtown and 68.8 percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, St. Thomas shot 47.1 percent from the floor, 42.1 percent from long range, and 57.9 percent from the charity stripe.
Coming off of a career performance Monday,
Granger Kingland continued his success with 15 points, six rebounds, and five blocks. Right alongside him was
Trevor Hall, who posted 15 points, six boards, two assists, and two steals. Also scoring in double figures was
Bridgeport Tusler and
Derek Magnuson, who finished with 13 and 12, respectively. Magnuson also grabbed eight rebounds and swatted three shots.
Backup point guard John Veil had a game-high 27 points and 12 assists for St. Thomas.
Bethel's season continues Saturday, when they play host to Augsburg in the second game of the men's and women's doubleheader. Tipoff against the Auggies, who are 3-2 in MIAC play, is scheduled for 3 p.m.
