ST. PETER, Minn.—Friday night's MIAC semifinal contest at No. 2 seeded Gustavus Adolphus College was the rematch Bethel University's women's basketball team had been hoping for, as the Royals (22-5) fell to the Gusties (25-1) by four points in their only meeting of the 2016-17 campaign. But despite the anticipation of the postseason matchup, BU was unable to upset GAC at Gus Young Court and fell by a final score of 67-72.
 
As the No. 6 seed in the most recent West region rankings, the Royals NCAA Tournament fate as an at-large is still unknown. Bethel will discover their tournament destiny Monday at 1:30 p.m. (Watch live) Should BU not earn their second bid in the past three years, Bethel would finish their season with a 22-5 record, which not only ties a program record for single-season wins, but also breaks a record for overall winning percentage.
 
The Royals possessed a one-point lead at the intermission break and seemed to be heading in the right direction when leading by four with 7:55 remaining in the third quarter. But Gustavus put together a 5-0 run and after that neither team possessed more than a three-point lead until the very end. Both teams were tied at 57-57 with 5:19 left in the game, but the Guties scored on their next two possessions and created just enough space to secure the win down the stretch.
 
Rebounds and free throws proved to be what pushed GAC over the top. Bethel shot 44.4 percent from the floor, opposed to Gustavus, who shot just 38.7 percent. But the Gusties ripped down 41 rebounds, including 16 on offense, whereas the Royals finished with just 32 total and eight on offense. Gustavus also went 21-of-26 (80.8 percent) from the foul line and Bethel finished 15-of-22 (68.2 percent).
 
BU got huge performances from a trio of players, including Wednesday night's star Abby Miller, freshman Taite Anderson, and double-double machine Hannah Johnson.
 
Miller tied a game high with 21 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor and 8-of-11 from the charity stripe. Right behind her was Anderson, who posted 18 points and six boards, while Johnson recorded her daily double-double with 12 points, 15 rebounds, and an unprecedented seven blocks—making it five consecutive double-doubles and 10 in the last 13 games.
 
Gustavus was led by Miranda Rice, who also scored 21 points and collected 12 rebounds.
 
If Friday night's contest was the Royals' last of the 2016-17 season, BU says goodbye and thank you to seniors Shanni Moorse and Kalli Zimmermann. Together, they have amassed 79 wins and four straight MIAC Playoff appearances (something that's never been done before) during their time at Bethel, which makes them the winningest class in the history of Bethel women's basketball.