COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — A 47-28 halftime deficit was too much for the Bethel University men's basketball team to overcome as the Royals dropped their first conference game of the year Wednesday night in Collegeville, 96-70, to No. 15th ranked Saint John's.
Payton Thomsen and
Nick Burke each finished with a team-high 12 points.
The Royals grabbed the first lead of the game on a pair of threes from
Payton Thomsen and
Caden Boettcher to go ahead 6-2.
Payton Thomsen nailed another shot from beyond the arc to give Bethel a 13-12 advantage.
Nick Burke grabbed an offensive board and a layup to put the Royals up six midway through the first half. St. John's used an 18-4 run to pull ahead 34-24 however, closing out the half with a 47-28 lead.
Adam Mattes knocked down a three to start the second half for the Royals,
Nick Burke came up with a three of his own to make it 51-36.
AJ Kaul drove the lane finding the basket to make it a 76-46 game midway through the second half.
Later in the half
Blake Schmitz turned a steal into a fastbreak opportunity, driving the paint for a dunk to make it 87-58.
Myles Thomsen hit a three with 3:17 to play, cutting the Royals deficit to 26, with
Evan Murray later hitting a jumper to make it 91-67. It wasn't enough however as the Royals fell 96-70.
The loss drops the Royals to 3-1 in conference play and 9-4 overall.
Up next:
The Royals will head home for another conference matchup with Macalester College Saturday afternoon Jan. 11 in the Robertson Center Gym. Tip-off is set for a 1 p.m.
