MANKATO, Minn. – In their final tune-up before the 2016-17 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) schedule begins, the Bethany Lutheran men's basketball team welcomed the St. Olaf Oles to the Sports and Fitness Center on Saturday afternoon. The Oles earned the 76-55 victory over Bethany.
 
In 2015-16, the Oles overcame a four-point halftime deficit to defeat the St. Thomas Tommies in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Postseason Championship to reach the NCAA Division III tournament for the third straight season.
 
On Saturday afternoon, the Vikings were led by a pair of sophomores in Jarred Merchant (Kimball, Minn.) and Blake Lindstrom (Hanley Falls, Minn.). The duo scored 19 and 10 points respectively in the efforts against the Oles. Senior Brandyn Frelix (Minneapolis, Minn.) collected seven rebounds to lead Bethany.
 
In 40 minutes of action, the Vikings shot 39.6% from the field compared to the Oles 57.9% (33-57). St. Olaf scored 48 points in the paint compared to the Vikings 28.
 
NEXTUP:
The men's basketball team (1-3) will next travel to Martin Luther on Saturday, December 3^rd for the first Upper Midwest Athletic Conference game of the 2016-17 season. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
 
To stay current with Vikings athletics, continue to visit www.blcvikings.com and follow @BLCvikings on Twitter. MEDIA: If you need further information, please feel free to contact Lucas Herd at 507-344-7856 or email lucas.herd@blc.edu.