ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—Bethel University's men's basketball suffered its first loss of the season Wednesday night in their home opener against Augsburg University. The Royals (4-1, 0-1 MIAC) fell to the Auggies (4-0, 2-0 MIAC) by a score of 74-87.

The contest proved to be a game of runs. Augsburg got out to a 10-point lead in the first five minutes of the game, however the Royals went on a 15-5 run to tie the game at 17. Augsburg then went on a 13-3 run to gain another 10-point advantage. But Bethel ended the half on a 21-8 run to earn a three-point advantage going into the break. The Royals extended their lead to eight early in the second half, but Augsburg regained the lead for good with 14:15 remaining and held off the Royals to remain undefeated.

Granger Kingland led the Royals in scoring with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Matt Ambriz finished with 17 point and three assists. Bridgeport Tusler and Derek Magnuson each put up 12 points and Magnuson added seven boards as well. Jack Jensen had five points, seven rebounds and led the team in assists with six.

The Royals won the rebound battle by pulling down 38 boards, 15 of which were offensive. However, the Royals shot just 64.7 percent from the free throw line and 36.0 percent from three. Augsburg earned 23 trips to the line and knocked down 95.7 percent of those attempts. The Auggies also outshot the Royals from the floor and from three. The Royals outscored Augsburg 21-15 in points in the paint and 16-9 in second chance points. The turnover margin proved to be fatal for BU, as they had 16 turnovers which Augsburg turned into 23 points.

Bethel looks to bounce back Saturday when they travel to Collegeville to play Saint John's University at 1 p.m. The last time these two teams squared off, Bethel beat the Johnnies 79-75 to win the MIAC Playoff Championship.