Bethel Opens MIAC Playoffs with Quarterfinal Contest at Concordia

The Bethel University men's basketball team will put their season on the line Wednesday night as they face off against Concordia College in the first round of the MIAC Playoffs. The Royals' quest to avenge last year's loss in the championship game will start in Moorhead with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

Previous matchups December 5, 2015 | Arden Hills, Minn. | Bethel 75, Concordia 66 | [Recap / Box Score] January 23, 2016 | Moorhead, Minn. | Concordia 69, Bethel 61 | [Recap / Box Score] How they got here • Concordia won 11 of their last 14 games, which included a double-OT win over Gustavus, a road win over Carleton, and home wins against Saint John's, St. Olaf, and Bethel • After starting 9-1 at the beginning of the year, including a 4-1 record against league opponents, Bethel finished the season with four wins in their final six games • Concordia overcame an 0-3 start to the MIAC schedule and a 3-5 start to the season, in which they played seven consecutive road games • Bethel's 9-1 start to the 2015-16 campaign is their best opening stretch since 2008 Game Notes Bethel University • Bethel is making its 16th playoff appearance in the last 18 seasons • The Royals lost to the Tommies 63-66 in last year's MIAC Championship game after defeating Concordia and St. Olaf in the opening two rounds • BU is 7-4 against the Cobbers over the past five seasons but 0-4 in Moorhead since 2012 • Bethel is 4-4 in its last four trips to postseason with seven of those eight games being on the road • The Royals are 3-2 in the MIAC Playoffs under head coach Doug Novak • BU won their only MIAC Playoff title exactly 25 years ago • Brycen Wojta leads the Royals in scoring with 13.8 points per game, alongside 2.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game • Bridgeport Tusler is averaging 13.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and a league-leading 2.4 steals per game • Derek Magnuson leads Bethel inside with 12.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game Concordia College • Concordia's last trip to the MIAC Playoffs resulted in a quarterfinal loss at Bethel in 2015 • The Cobbers are making their third postseason appearance in the last four years • Concordia is 8-3 at home this season, which includes a nine-point loss to St. Thomas and a one-point overtime defeat against Carleton • The Cobbers' last conference title came in 1983 • Senior forward Jordan Bolger leads the MIAC in scoring this season (19.2 ppg) and is currently tenth on Concordia's all-time scoring list • Tom Fraase averages 13.7 points per game with a shooting percentage of 48.1 and a 3-point mark of 41.3 • Dylan Alderman averages 10.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 58.2 percent from the floor and 84.9 percent from the foul line