WAVERLY, Iowa. – Anna Garfield dropped 20 points, while Emily Erickson notched her first career double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Bethel University women's basketball team defeated Westminster 79-69 Saturday afternoon in Waverly, Iowa.
 
Bethel shot 36.2 percent on the day and was 40 percent behind the arc. The Blue Jays shot 43.6 percent and were 30.8 percent from long distance. The Royals forced 26 turnovers, turning it over 21 times themselves, and collected 11 steals.
 
The Royals dominated the boards by a 51-36 advantage including 20 offensive boards.
 
The Royals trailed 18-15 with 2:32 to go in the opening quarter before going on an 11-0 run to lead 26-18 at the end of the first. An offensive putback by Erickson with 7:34 left in the second pushed the lead to double digits. BU's biggest lead was 16 in the second before taking a 43-28 lead into the break.
 
An offensive putback by Elly Schmitz gave the Royals their largest lead of the game with 9:30 left in the third quarter. A 9-0 run for Westminster got them within nine but they would get no closer the rest of the way.
 
BU expanded on its 62-51 lead after three, getting the advantage back to 16 twice in the fourth. Through the final 90 seconds, Bethel's defense held the Blue Jays to a pair of makes and one free throw while the Royals final six points came from the charity stripe.
 
The Royals stay on the road traveling to Wisconsin-La Crosse next Friday, Nov. 15 for a 7 p.m. tip off.
 
  Read Full Article