KISSIMMEE, Fla. – To begin the New Year, the Bethany Lutheran men's basketball team played their last of two games in the state of Florida. The Vikings earned the 86-79 victory over Johnson University to finish 1-1 on the trip down south.
 
With the win, the Vikings improve to 6-6 overall on the season while remaining at 3-2 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference.
 
Bethany Lutheran used a balance scoring attack to earn the victory over the Suns as five different players reached double-digits in the scoring column. The Vikings were led by sophomores Jarred Merchant (Kimball, Minn.) and Austin Bauer (Caledonia, Minn.), recording 18 and 16 points respectively. Junior's Neil Eichten (Wabasso, Minn.) and Bradley Rose (Le Sueur, Minn.) contributed with 13 and 12 points while Brady Rose (Le Sueur, Minn.) added 11 to the offensive attack.
 
Brandyn Frelix (Minneapolis, Minn.) was productive on the boards, finishing with nine rebounds out of the team's 37.
 
Matt Fletcher's Vikings shot 43.8% (28-64) from the field while connecting on 33.3% (9-27) from beyond the arc. BLC made several clutch free throws down the stretch to bring their game percentage to 75% (21-28).
 
UP NEXT:
Following the victory over the Suns, the BLC men's basketball team will travel back to Minnesota to prepare for the weekend series against Finlandia University and Northland College. Tip-off on Friday night is set for 7:30 p.m. against the Lions.    
 
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.