SAINT PETER, MINN.—The No. 3 seed Bethel University women's basketball team upset No. 2 seed Gustavus Adolphus by a 73-66 score in the 2025-26 MIAC Women's Basketball Playoff Semifinal in Saint Peter, Minnesota on Thursday evening. The No. 3 seed Royals will face No. 1 seed Concordia (Minn.) in Moorhead, Minnesota on Saturday, February 28 at 3 p.m.

The Royals improve to 21-6, while the Gusties fall to 18-8.

Bethel 73, Gustavus 66

A season-best 20 steals and .581 (25-of-43) field goal percentage was achieved by Bethel, who trailed as much as 27-15 with 7:17 left in the second quarter. This provoked a timeout from the Royals. This paid dividends for Bethel, who went on a 15-3 run that ended with a layup from Cally Peterson the knotted the score at 30-30 with 9:18 left in the third quarter. 

The Gusties grabbed their final lead of the contest with a 6-0 run that gave them a 36-30 cushion with 8:07 on the third quarter clock, before Bethel responded with a 16-4 run capped by Elly Schmitz's two free throws that put them in the driver's seat for good at 46-40 with 2:26 remaining in the third.

Gustavus cut their deficit to one point off Peyton Stevermer's three-pointer that made the score 59-58 with 5:10 left in the contest, before Bethel responded with a 12-3 run that gave them their first double-digit cushion at 69-59 with 2:14 remaining before they sank four free throws down the stretch to lock a 73-66 win.

Emily Erickson paced Bethel with 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting, four steals, two assists, and five rebounds. Colette Duininck was all over the stat sheet with seven steals, three assists, and 14 points. Rosalie Penke rounded out the double-digit Royals with 13 points, two steals, and two assists.

Both teams combined for 58 turnovers and just 44 rebounds. Gustavus shot .511 (23-of-45) in the contest and had 16 steals. Peyton Stevermer led the way with 20 points off the bench for the Gusties.