MANKATO, Minn. – Senior Austin Korba scored 28 of his career-high 31 points in the second half to spark the No. 23 St. Olaf College men's basketball team to an 81-68 road win over Bethany Lutheran College on Saturday afternoon at North Gymnasium.
Korba was 8-for-9 from the field and 10-for-13 from the free-throw line in the second half alone for St. Olaf (1-4), as the Oles shot 50.0 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes. The win marked the 11th-straight season St. Olaf has defeated Bethany Lutheran (2-4), which made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance last season.
Korba's 31 points were the most by an Ole since Ben Figini had 31 against Bethel on Feb. 27, 2015. The senior finished the game 9-for-15 from the field, including 3-for-6 from behind the arc, and 10-for-13 from the free-throw line.
Junior Troy Diggins Jr. was 5-for-8 from three-point range on his way to 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Sophomore Dominic Bledsoe scored 10 of his 12 points in the opening half to join Korba and Diggins Jr. in double figures, while also adding seven rebounds.
St. Olaf's only deficit of the first half was 6-5 after a Cire Mayfield layup with 16:18 left in the first half. The Oles responded by holding the Vikings scoreless for 4:08 during a 12-0 run, with Bledsoe providing seven of St. Olaf's 12 points during the spurt.
Three-pointers from Bledsoe and Diggins Jr. gave the Oles a 25-11 lead with 8:57 remaining in the opening half, but Bethany Lutheran responded with an 8-0 run of its own to get within six. Down 34-25 inside the final three minutes of the first half, the Vikings closed the half on a 9-1 run to make it a one-point game at the break.
Bethany Lutheran got a layup from Jarred Merchant to open the second half, giving the hosts' their first lead since 6-5. The teams exchanged the lead six times in the opening four minutes of the second half before a Diggins Jr. three-pointer with 14:56 gave the Oles the lead for good at 47-45 with 14:56 remaining.
After Diggins Jr.'s go-ahead three-pointer, Korba scored the next 10 points for St. Olaf, as the Oles built a 57-49 lead with 11:11 to play after a 13-4 run. Korba accounted for 20 of St. Olaf's 28 points as the Oles turned a 43-42 deficit with 16:18 remaining into a 70-56 lead with 5:31 to play.
St. Olaf led by as many as 17 down the stretch after a Korba jumper with 1:44 on the clock. The Oles enjoyed a 9-0 advantage in points off turnovers in the second half, forcing nine Viking turnovers and committing just two.
Mayfield finished with a team-high 22 points and seven assists for Bethany Lutheran, while Merchant and Jared Millinkovich had 10 points and seven boards apiece.
St. Olaf begins Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play at Saint Mary's University (Minn.) on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. in Winona.