WINONA, Minn.—Bethel University's women's basketball team earned their first conference victory of the 2017-18 campaign thanks to Saturday afternoon's 70-67 road win over Saint Mary's University. The Royals (4-4, 1-2 MIAC) finished 8-of-8 in their final eight attempts at the charity stripe, which proved to be pivotal in their three-point triumph over the Cardinals (5-4, 1-2 MIAC).
 
BU went on an 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter to give themselves a 62-50 advantage with 4:57 remaining in the game, but SMU came back with a vengeance—outscoring Bethel 17-6 in the closing minutes—before falling three points short.
 
Abby Miller led the Royals with 19 points and four rebounds, while Taite Anderson recorded 15 points and five boards. Angie Kirchoff aided BU with 10 points and four rebounds, while Hannah Simpson provided seven points on 3-of-5 shooting in 11 minutes off the bench. Hannah Johnson was limited to 20 minutes due to foul trouble, but the junior forward still managed to contribute six points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Jasmin Bretoi and Lainie Cox added six and five points, respectively.
 
Bethel shot 43.3 percent from the floor and 88.2 percent (15-of-17) from the free throw line. The Royals made hay in bench points, outscoring the Cardinals 18-7 in points scored from nonstarters. They also held a slim margin in points off turnovers (18-15).
 
BU's next contest is in The Sunshine State, as the Royals travel to Daytona Beach, Florida, to take on Saint Vincent College on Wednesday, December 20 at 5 p.m. (ET) and MacMurray College on Thursday, December 21 at 3 p.m. Bethel then returns to conference action Wednesday, January 3, when they take on St. Olaf in Northfield at 7 p.m.