ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Seven ties and four lead changes later, the Bethel University women's basketball team pulled out a close one with Carleton, 67-63, Wednesday evening inside the Robertson Center. The win earns the Royals the three seed in the MIAC Playoffs giving them a home game next Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
 
Makenna Pearson got hot in the second half where 15 of her team-leading 18 points came. Hayden Glander put in another double-double performance with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kendal Cox added 11 rebounds with six points while Bella Williams with six assists.
 
The lead stayed tight through the third quarter where BU led by as many as six points before the Knights cut it to two. A free throw by Brown-Erdal with five seconds left made it 44-41.
 
A 12-0 BU run in the early parts of the fourth made it 53-43 with 7:12 remaining. Fast break and second chance opportunities aided Bethel in keeping the lead as Carleton pulled it to 65-63 with 13 seconds remaining.
 
Pearson on the other end with 10 seconds left hit both free throws before the Royals got a defensive stop on the other end with a huge block from Anna Garfield as time expired.
 
Carleton used an early 8-0 run to break a 4-4 tie. Dialing in from long distance, Kat Brown-Erdal and Pearson cut it to two before the Royals trailed 16-12 at the end of the first quarter.
 
Glander tied it at 24-24 with 2:07 left in the half connecting on a three-point play. Courtney Nuest responded to a Carleton bucket on the other end sending the teams into the locker room deadlocked at 26.
 
Bethel will face off against the winner of No. 6 seed Carleton versus No. 11 seed Macalester in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
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