Royals Complete Northland Sweep with 71-61 Win at Carleton

NORTHFIELD, Minn.—Bethel University picked up a huge 71-61 road win over Carleton College Wednesday night. The Royals (12-3, 7-3 MIAC) upended the Knights (10-5, 7-3 MIAC) 44-32 throughout the second half, which led to the eventual 10-point triumph. BU trailed 27-29 at the half-way mark, but that was a welcome site as they were down nine 20-29 with 2:26 remaining in the opening period. Already on a 7-0 run going into the second frame, Bethel extended its margin to 15-3 with 16:54 left in the game. The Royals held onto a three-point lead until the 11-minute mark, when at that point they stretched their lead to eight and never looked back. Bethel held the Knights to a shooting percentage of 35.0 and a 3-point mark of 25.0, while they themselves shot 48.3 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from the 3-point line. The Royals dominated inside, outscoring Carleton 44-28 throughout the entire 40 minutes of play. BU also had a 6-0 advantage in fast-break points. Trevor Hall was one of five Bethel players to score in double figures throughout the game. Hall finished with 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting, three rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Brycen Wojta scored 13 points and boarded five missed shots. Joining Hall and Wojta in double figures was Derek Magnuson and Jared Nelson, who each poured in 12 points for the Royals. Nelson was 4-of-5 from outside the 3-point line. Tim Hanson added 10 points—his seventh game with double digits this season. Tianen Chen had a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds for the Knights in 28 minutes of play. Now 12-3 overall and 7-3 in conference play, Bethel sits in a four-way tie for second place among the MIAC standings. The Royals look to hold their ground atop the league's top teams with a road test Saturday against Concordia-Moorhead at 1 p.m.