ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Behind Emily Erickson's 19-point performance off the bench, with 16 of those points coming in the second half, the Bethel University women's basketball team pulled away from St. Scholastica in a 73-54 victory Wednesday evening inside the Robertson Center.
 
The Royals took a 33-28 lead into the break before outscoring the Saints 40-26 in the final 20 minutes. Bethel shot 50 percent from the floor while going 4-of-8 from three. The Royals held the Saints to 39.2 percent and 2-of-12 behind the arc.
 
Elly Schmitz finished with 15 points and eight rebounds while Anna Garfield rounded out the top scorers with 11 points.         
 
Rosalie Penke's driving layup with 2:28 left in the third got BU's lead to double-digits at 49-38 where it would stay the rest of the way. Bethel worked it inside in the third where 14 of their 18 points came and gave them a 51-40 advantage heading into the fourth.
 
Bethel then shot 69.2 percent from the field in the final 10 minutes. Erickson dropped 10 points in the fourth, including a 6-0 run by herself over an early one-minute and 10-second stretch.
 
The Saints were held to a pair of free throws and two field goals through the first 5:30 of the fourth helping the Royals keep the lead at arm's length.
 
 Neither team held a lead bigger than six in the first half. The squads were tied at 15 after the opening quarter and both had scoring runs early in the second. Lydia Hay's three from the left wing with 35 seconds before the half gave BU its largest lead of the game to that point.
 
UP NEXT
The Royals, who are now 13-3 on the year and 9-0 in MIAC play, travel to St. Catherine for a 1 p.m. tip on Saturday, Jan. 25.
 
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