ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The Bethel University men's basketball team fought back from a seven-point deficit in the second half to take a brief lead, but No. 4-ranked St. Thomas made timely 3-pointers to put the game away 65-60 over the Royals.
Bethel drops to 11-6 in MIAC play and 14-8 overall, while the Tommies improve to 16-1 in the conference and 20-2 on the season.
Both teams started sluggish from the field, with strong defense on both sides playing a prominent role all game. Bethel shot 7-of-21 (33.3%) from beyond the arc while the Tommies were 6-of-20 (30.0%) from deep. Junior forward
Isaiah Carver-Bagley was the catalyst for the Royals early, scoring eight of the team's first 10 points, continuing his run of stellar play as a starter.
Bethel's largest lead of the game was five points, when they held a 15-10 advantage halfway through the first frame. St. Thomas knocked down a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to go ahead 24-23 at the break.
The visitors carried over that momentum with a 10-4 run when they returned to the court, but triples by
Jamal Davis and Carver-Bagley, plus a layup from
Jack Jenson, gave Bethel a glimmer of hope and a one-point advantage 38-37. Then the offense went cold at the exact time the Tommie offense picked up, and a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Jenson cut the final score to 65-60.
Carver-Bagley led all Royal scorers with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Jenson was close behind with 17 points.
Chandler Wellman added 12 points all in the second half. Bethel shot 22-for-53 (41.5 percent) on the night.
The Royals hit the road for tests against current playoff teams Gustavus and Augsburg on Saturday and Wednesday, respectively, and will return to the Robertson Center February 22 to face St. John's in the regular season finale. Saturday's contest with Gustavus tips off at 1 p.m. in St. Peter.
