WINONA, Minn. — After leading by as many as 17 in the first half the Bethel University men's basketball team fell to Saint Mary's 76-60 Saturday afternoon.
Nick Burke led the way for the Royals with 22 points, going 8-for-14 from the field and 4-for-9 from three.
Adam Mattes tallied 9 points, with 4 rebounds in the loss.
Burke knocked down his first five shots, three of which came from long distance, as Bethel raced out to 22-4 through the first six and a half minutes of the game.
The Cardinals responsed with an 8-0 lead before midway through the half
Caden Boettcher drove the lane for the layup and a 24-12 Bethel advantage.
The Cardinals closed out the half with a 26-3 run in the final eight minutes to take a 38-29 lead into the break.
Adam Mattes opened the second half with a three to cut the Royals deficit to six.
Burke worked his way into the lane finding the bucket to make it a 46-37 game. He later knocked down a 15-foot jumper to cut the deficit to 13.
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Payton Thomsen defensive board turned into a Boettcher layup at the other end to make it a 61-58 game with seven minutes to play.
The Cardinals closed the game with a 15-2 run in the final five and a half minutes with Mattes getting the only bucket on a layup with 23 seconds left.
Up next:
The Royals now head to Northfield looking to snap their three game losing skid Wednesday night Feb. 5 when they take on Carleton College. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
