ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—Playing in their third MIAC Playoff championship in the last four years and hosting for the second straight season, No. 3 Bethel University welcomed No. 4 Augsburg University to the Robertson Center for the conference title game Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately for the Royals (21-7), 2018's Playoff finale didn't end with the same magic as 2017, as the Auggies (21-7) defeated BU by a final score of 81-69.
 
Both teams shot lights out in the opening half, as each unit went over 60 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes. The biggest difference was Bethel's eight turnovers, opposed to Augsburg's two, and the Auggies' seven triples, compared to the Royals' four. Those two differences resulted in a five-point lead for Augsburg at the intermission break.


 
The Auggies kept pace in the second half, shooting 6-of-11 from deep, while holding BU to 10-of-29 (.345) from the floor—their lowest percentage during the tournament. Augsburg's five-point lead at the half stretched to 15 with 13:47 remaining and despite cutting into the deficit several times, Bethel was unable to close the gap.
 
Jack Jenson led BU for the second consecutive contest, finishing with 16 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. Granger Kingland and Derek Magnuson each posted 14 points and a combined 12 rebounds, while Matt Ambriz and Riley Dearring recorded eight points.
 
Bethel's biggest advantage throughout the weekend matinee was their scoring down low, outscoring the Auggies 36-20 in the paint. Augsburg's biggest advantage was Collin Olmscheid, who closed out his MIAC Playoff career with 36 points on 15-of-19 shooting. Kevin McKiernan also added 23 on 7-of-9 shooting from outside the arc.
 
The Royals say thank you to the four seniors that closed out their college basketball careers Sunday. Riley Dearring, Andrew Fort, Tim Hanson, and Bridgeport Tusler helped BU reach the semifinal round or better in all four seasons and the playoff championship in three—the most playoff experience of any graduating class in the history of Bethel basketball.