ST. PAUL, Minn. – Behind
Payton Thomsen's season-high 32 points, the Bethel University men's basketball team won its third straight with an 84-80 road victory at Hamline.
Thomsen was 11-of-20 from the field while knocking down four treys and adding eight rebounds. He dropped 24 points in the opening 20 minutes.
Nick Burke finished with 17 points while
Caden Boettcher contributed 15.
Adam Mattes and
Blake Schmitz each had 10 points respectively.
The Royals shot 46 percent for the game despite going 27.8 percent behind the arc. Hamline was 46.9 percent from the floor and was an identical 27.8 percent from three.
Thomsen kept Bethel in it early scoring the Royals' first 17 points as they trailed 19-17. Hamline's largest lead of the game at eight came twice in the first half. A three in transition from Thomsen tied it at 29-29 with 7:12 left in the first before Bruke, on the next possession laid it in giving BU a lead the rest of the way.
Bethel built on its 46-38 halftime lead as a pair of free throws from Thomsen gave BU its biggest lead of the game at 52-41 early in the second half.
The Pipers cut the Royals' lead to single digits and cut it to 8078 on a fast break layup with 1:35 left in the game. BU got it done on the defensive end in the final 90 seconds forcing Hamline to come up empty on four different possessions.
Burke and Boettcher got it done at the free-throw line making it a two-possession game with Hamline getting one final layup to fall with one second left.
UP NEXT
Now 6-2 on the year and 2-0 in conference play, the Royals are back on the hardwood Thursday, Dec. 12 hosting Crown in non-conference action. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
