Royals Advance to MIAC Semifinal with Road Win Over Concordia

Bethel University's men's basketball team met Concordia College in the opening round of the MIAC Playoffs for the second year in a row and for the second consecutive season it was the Royals (18-8, 12-8 MIAC) that were victorious over the Cobbers (16-10, 13-7 MIAC). With Wednesday night's 67-62 victory, Bethel now advances to the MIAC semifinals for the third consecutive year and fourth time in the past five seasons. As a reward for their first win at Moorhead since 2012, BU will face No. 1-ranked St. Thomas in St. Paul Friday night. The Royals held a slim margin over the Cobbers throughout the majority of Wednesday's postseason opener. After amassing a six-point lead at the half, Concordia took a one-point lead with 10:51 remaining in the game. But Bethel responded with an 8-2 run at the nine-minute mark and later an 11-2 run with 1:40 remaining that sealed the victory. Trevor Hall's double-double paced Bethel throughout the entire 40 minutes. The Blaine, Minnesota native led the team with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Three other team members also poured in 10 points, including Tim Hanson, Derek Magnuson, and Bridgeport Tusler. Hanson added six boards, while Magnuson posted five rebounds. Tusler snipered four steals and ripped down three rebounds. Brycen Wojta and Jackson Canfield contributed nine and eight points as well. Bethel finished the night shooting 41.8 percent from the floor and 63.3 percent from the foul line. Together, they outrebounded Concordia 38-30, including a 12-5 advantage in offensive boards. That difference margin led to a 13-2 advantage in second-chance points. The Royals also outscored the Cobbers 38-28 in the paint. Tom Fraase and Isaac Anderson each scored 14 points for Concordia. BU's MIAC semifinal game at St. Thomas Friday is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Schoenecker Arena. Bethel is 0-2 against the Tommies this season with their first loss being a 3-point defeat at UST on January 9.