ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The Bethel University men's basketball team looked in mid-season form defensively holding Wisconsin-Eau Claire to a season-low 39.4 shooting percentage in a 78-67 victory that snapped the Blugolds five game winning streak.
 
Meanwhile Bethel's offense shot a season second-best 54.5 percent from the field and were 7-of-20 behind the arc. UWEC was 7-of-30 from 3-point range.
 
Zach Doely was the difference maker for the Royals registering his sixth straight double-double with a season-high 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Nick Burke chipped in 18 points thanks to a 5-of-10 mark behind the arc. Payton Thomsen and Joey Kidder each added 10 points.
 
Bethel had its largest lead of the game a 64-43 with 12 minutes to go in the contest. The Blugolds got within 13 with 3:37 left but Bethel's defense held them to one lone field goal the rest of the way, a 3-pointer with five seconds left.
 
Things were close in the opening half until a 5-0 run by Bethel that ended with a Burk three pointer moving BU's lead from two to seven. Doely slammed it home with 5:57 in the first pushing the lead to double digits. His 14 first-half points heled BU go into the break up 44-30.
 
UP NEXT
Now 4-4 on the year, Bethel travels south to the Sunshine State for a pair of games in St. Pete Beach at Eckerd College. The Royals open up with Dickinson College at 2 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Dec. 19.


 
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