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Bethel women’s basketball concluded another 20-win season in the MIAC semifinals at Augsburg. By Jared Martinson The lights in Si Melby Hall have gotten brighter over the years. The recently reduxed floor boasts the shadow of the Minneapolis skyline on one side. The air is heavy with tension. Emotions are running high in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women’s basketball semifinals. In a game of momentum swings, long scoring runs and crucial plays that matter ten times more in hindsight than they feel like in the minute they’re happening, the Bethel women’s basketball team fought for a win against second-seeded Augsburg. They couldn’t cut through that air to advance to the conference championship, losing by a score of 79-70. “I’m not sad we lost, I’m sad that it ends our season,” head coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer said. “This team is really special.” The Royals jumped on Augsburg quickly, going inside to… Keep Reading

Royals could not match St. John’s’ shooting, rebounding as Johnnies advance to MIAC championship. By Sam Johnson 80 miles separates these two schools. A 90 minute drive up Interstate-94 provides a scenery that morphs from urban to rural. But in all that change, the commonality of basketball excellence is what brought Bethel and St. John’s together Thursday night for a MIAC semifinal matchup. The stage was set. A sea of red laced the backdrop and the intensity of the game settled like a fog onto Sexton Arena in Collegeville. This was the third meeting this year between these conference rivals, as they split the previous two meetings with both home squads coming away victorious. Even though the Royals last came to Collegeville in November, the Johnnie students made sure to let the visitors know that they were entering a hostile environment. Hours before the game, all around the campus in… Keep Reading

After quarterfinal wins on Tuesday, Royal cagers look to win again and keep championship hopes alive. By Jared Martinson The 66-52 victory for the Bethel women’s basketball team on Tuesday was not guaranteed. Look at the first three quarters of play; the Royals led 41-38 struggling to be secure with the ball. Then a small burst of fast break scoring ensued and all of a sudden it was a 10-point game. They can’t afford to come out of the gates slow tonight, when they’ll go on the road to Augsburg (21-4) for the MIAC semifinal. The Auggies swept Bethel by a combined total of nine points in two meetings this year. The Royals (20-6) will face Augsburg in Minneapolis at 7 p.m. The men’s team scored early and often in the quarterfinal against Gustavus, running away with a 93-67 win. Matt Ambriz scored 22 points and three other Royals were… Keep Reading

Fans entering the Robertson Center Tuesday night were expecting to cheer. Loud. Both the Royals’ men’s and women’s basketball teams now entered a new phase to their season: playoff basketball. And fans know that. “Playoff basketball is different,” women’s coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer said. Keep Reading

The women’s and men’s hoops teams open the conference tournament with home games on Tuesday night. By Jared Martinson Both Bethel University basketball teams are slotted at the third seed in the MIAC playoffs, which begin Tuesday evening in the Robertson Center. The women’s game begins at 5 p.m., followed by a clearing of the gym for re-ticketing; then the men’s game tips off at 8 p.m. Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer’s 19-6 squad faces St. Mary’s University (13-12) in the opener, a team they defeated 13 days ago at home 86-68 behind 22 points from Taite Anderson. The Cardinals are led by forward Brandi Blattner, who scored 21 points against Bethel in the first meeting. This game is a rematch of last season’s MIAC quaurterfinals, in which St. Mary’s defeated Bethel in the same Arden Hills gym 58-54. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. The men’s team comes into their quarterfinal… Keep Reading

The men’s and women’s basketball teams finish the regular season with road victories and will each host the first round of the MIAC playoffs. By Jared Martinson Again, defense wins out in Bethel women’s basketball triumph Entering Saturday, Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer’s Royals were 7-1 in their last eight games. 32. 33. 28. 20. 23. 18. 27. 37. I don’t know what you would imagine those numbers to mean, but I’m guessing it wouldn’t be the number of turnovers each Bethel opponent had in those eight games. “Last March, our captains came to me and asked, ‘what is it that we can do to make you less frustrated?’,” Herbrechtsmeyer said. “I told them to believe in what I was asking them to do on the defensive end. This is a culmination of work since last March.” The Royals went on the road and forced Hamline into 33 turnovers Saturday en route… Keep Reading

As Bethel celebrates one class of athletes moving on, hope of the next springs forth. By Sam Johnson As parents holding bouquets, with a flower as white as the ice they stood on, lined the home rink for senior night at the Bethel University Arena in Blaine, the game began with a celebration. Not one based on a win, but of four women who were about to take the home ice for the final time. With the Royals out of contention for the MIAC playoffs, Friday night’s tilt against Saint Catherine’s shouldn’t have meant much on the frozen surface. But for Erika Geary, Sarina Goos, Kirsten Olson and Lauren Topor, it meant the last time skating competitively with their teammates. All of the women playing their final home game, except Topor, who was not in uniform, were in the starting lineup as the Royals took on the Wildcats. In the… Keep Reading

In a matchup of high-seeded MIAC teams, Bethel’s defense makes a statement in the win. By Sam Johnson Swarming hands. Moving feet. Pressuring each possession. On a typical, cold Wednesday night in February, the Bethel Royals had the Gustavus Gusties feeling the heat all game long. The ever-present defense led the charge to a convincing win for the Royals as they locked up the third seed in the MIAC playoffs, defeating the fourth-place Gusties 68-48. The home Royals began the game making their presence known on the defensive end of the floor. With starting guards Bella Williams and Haylee Barker disrupting passing lanes on the press, the Gusties scored a season-low seven first quarter points. But more shocking, they had more turnovers, nine, than total points scored. Second quarter action didn’t show much improvement for the visitors. They were held without a field goal until the four-minute mark and ended… Keep Reading

Bethel leads wire-to-wire to maintain the third spot in the MIAC standings. Next game is Saturday at home versus Macalester College. By Sam Johnson As the Bethel Royals women’s basketball team held tight to the third spot in the MIAC standings Wednesday night, their next challenge pitted them against Carleton Knights, who came into the game winless in the conference. The Royals won 100-52 in a game it led from start to finish. Bethel jumped out to an 11-1 lead within the first four minutes of the game. From the opening tip, the Royals sprinted down loose balls and trampolined for offensive rebounds. By the end of the quarter, Bethel had a 12-point lead, fueled by eight offensive rebounds in a game where they totaled 18. The second quarter played out like much of the first. Carleton’s turnovers ignited Bethel’s fast breaks. A 21-4 run helped the home team extend… Keep Reading