ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The Bethel University men's basketball team started 2020 on the right foot with a dominant 84-57 victory over Saint Mary's Saturday afternoon inside the Robertson Center.
Hot shooting from behind the arc where the Royals knocked down a season-high 14 treys improved Bethel to 7-3 on the year and 4-1 in MIAC play. BU makes a quick turnaround traveling to Concordia Monday for a 7 p.m. tip.
With five players in double figures, junior forward Isaiah Carver-Bagley and senior guard Jack Jenson led the pack with 15 points each. Carver-Bagley added a game-high eight rebounds in his 27 minutes of action. Granger Kingland was right behind them with 14 points thanks to knocking down four 3-pointers. Jamal Davis added 11 points and five rebounds. Hudson Urbanus was effective on the offensive end with 11 points and a career-high seven assists.
It took some time for the Royals to get their legs back under them following a three-week break from competition. The Cardinals jumped out to a six-point lead before the Royals went on a 13-0 run sparked by a layup and a 3-ball from Davis. Carver-Bagley capped off an electric first half scoring eight of Bethel's final 16 points including a half-court buzzer beater sending the Royals into the break with a 40-26 lead.
Bethel expanded on its 14-point halftime lead scoring on its first five possessions for a 52-30 advantage. It was raining threes once again as Noah Whalen, Kingland and Carver-Bagley went back-to-back-to-back pushing the BU lead to 30. Senior forward Peter Bassett laid one off the glass at the 6:46 marking giving the Royals its largest margin of the game at 79-44.
Story by Austin Lagesse, Bethel University Assistant Sports Information Director
MBB | Carver-Bagley AT THE ������������!! #d3hoops
— Bethel Gameday (@BethelGameday) January 4, 2020
Saint Mary's 26, #BURoyals 40 // Half pic.twitter.com/RqfHscE5NS