EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The Bethel University men's basketball team kicked off its 2022-23 campaign on the road Wednesday evening falling to Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 92-69.
The Royals saw all seven newcomers get action in Wednesday's game while returning starters
Zach Doely and
Tommy Jensen each finished in double figures.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
• Eau-Claire won the opening tap scoring the game's first points on its opening possession.
• Bethel responded right back as freshman guard
Avery Mast knocked down a trey giving BU what would be its only lead of the night.
• The Royals tied it up on two more occasions before the host Blugolds went on a 12-0 run taking an 18-6 lead.
• A layup from
Payton Thomsen ended BU's near three-minute scoring drought.
• The Royals connected from behind the arc on three-straight possessions pulling within 27-22 and 6:23 to go. Eau-Claire would beat the horn with a three of its own sending the Royals into the locker room trailing 49-28.
Second Half
• A layup from
Tommy Jensen two minutes into the second half pulled the Royals within 49-36 but they would get no closer than that.
• The Blugolds largest lead of the night came at 89-64 with 2:11 left.
• After a slow shooting start in the first half (43.5 percent), Bethel rebounded shooting 62.5 percent from the floor in the second half.
• From behind the arc BU shot 50 percent in each half finishing 9-of-18 for the night.
KEY PERFORMERS
• Doely led the squad with 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting with eight rebounds.
• Jensen added 17 points while knocking down three treys.
• In his Bethel debut,
Payton Thomsen added 13 points off the bench in 16 minutes of action.
UP NEXT
The Royals make the short trip to Northwestern Sunday, Nov. 13 for a 4 p.m. tip.
