MANKATO, Minn. – Senior Trenton Krueger (Eagan, Minn.) became the career leader in Bethany Lutheran men's basketball history in blocks Wednesday night. He entered the contest tied for the top spot and claimed the record with 3:07 to play in the first half. The previous mark was 59 set by Gavin Kroehler (2009-13).

The Vikings won 88-62 and moved to 2-2 on the season. This marked the first win for BLC in the series, as it snapped a six-game losing streak to the Norse.



Junior Brian Smith (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) had a team-high 13 points, as he was one of six players in double digits. Sophomore Kaden Vaughn (St. Charles, Minn.) and freshman Justin Schrupp (Danube, Minn.) each had 12, sophomore Jared Milinkovich (New Prague, Minn.) had 11 and Krueger and freshman Hunter Nielsen (New Prague, Minn.) both had 10. Krueger had a second consecutive double double with his 14 rebounds.

The score remained close in the first part of the game as the lead traded hands a couple times. Krueger helped Bethany reclaim the lead for good with his two consecutive layups to make it 12-9 with 9:59 to play. The Vikings began to build a double digit margin as the half concluded and led 44-25 at the break.

BLC continued to lead by double figures in the second stanza and led by as many as 33 points.

Bethany held the advantage in all three shooting percentage categories, and tied the school record as it finished 100% from the line for the seventh time in program history. Defensively, the Vikings held the Norse to 19.2% from beyond the arc.

BLC takes to the road Saturday for an exhibition against NCAA Division II opponent, Winona State, at 3 p.m.