MANKATO, Minn. – The Bethany Lutheran women's basketball team (22-3 overall) will face No. 6/6 Bethel (26-1) in St. Paul in the NCAA Tournament First Round Friday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. The Royals will serve as hosts. The other Friday game features UW-Oshkosh (18-10) and Edgewood College (25-2). Friday's winners will advance to Saturday's Second Round game.
The Vikings won the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament Championship to earn the bid to the NCAA Tournament. This marks the second-straight trip for the program and second overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Both have occurred under current head coach Lyle Jones.
Follow the Vikings
Links to come for
live video, provided by Bethel.
Click here for the
live stats.
Click here for the
complete bracket.
Click here for the
digital program.
Click here for the preview in the
Mankato Free Press.
Tournament Schedule
Friday, March 6
5 p.m. UW-Oshkosh vs. Edgewood
7:30 p.m. No. 6/9 Bethel vs. Bethany Lutheran
Saturday, March 7
7 p.m. Second Round Game
Ticket Prices
Adults: $8
Senior Citizens, Students and Children: $4
(Tickets will go on sale at 3:45 p.m. on Friday and 5:30 p.m. on Saturday)
The Series
The Royals hold the all-time series lead at 2-0, though the most-recent meeting was in 2013.
Bethany Lutheran
Junior Hanna Geistfeld (Truman, Minn.) leads the team with 21.5 PPG and 10.4 rebounds/game. Classmate Abby Olson (Montevideo, Minn.) follows with 19.18.8 PPG, and has 85 assists and 45 steals.
Junior Kenlie Pytleski (East Chain, Minn.) is just shy of double figures at 9.2 PPG.
Career Record Watch
Olson ranks second in three-point field goals (168), second in assists (262) and points (1,309), fourth in free throws (294), and fifth in steals (152) and field goals (421). Geistfeld is second in field goals (504), third in points (1,305), and sixth in rebounds (615). Pytleski is sixth in blocks (66) and 10th in three-point field goals (68). Senior Emily Skrien (Nicollet, Minn.) is ninth in three-point field goals (79).
Single Season Record Watch
Geistfeld is first in field goals (214) and points (560), fifth in free throws (129), and eighth in rebounds (270). Olson is third in three-point field goals (66), fifth in points (489), eighth in free throws (119) and assists (85), and ninth in field goals (152).
As a team, the Vikings have set a new record in wins (22).
National Stat Rankings
Bethany Lutheran ranks in the top 100 of 15 national stat categories, the NCAA released Monday.
The Vikings are: seventh in free throws (447), 18
th in won-lost percentage (88.5), 25
th in scoring offense (75.7 PPG), 27
th in assists/game (16.5), 29
th in rebound margin (9.1), 40
th in points (1,968), 41
st in assists (428), 42
nd in rebounds/game (44.54), 53
rd in scoring margin (13.0), 56
th in rebounds (1,158), 57
th in field goal percentage (41.9), 62
nd in assist turnover ratio (0.95), and 83
rd in free throw percentage (72.0) and 88
th in three-point field goals (181) and three-point field goals/game (7.0).
Individually, Geistfeld is seventh in double doubles (18), ninth in field goals (214), 12
th in points (560) and scoring (21.5 PPG), 15
th in free throws (129), and 48
th in rebounds (270).
Olson is 31
st in free throws (119), 36
th in points (489), 41
st in scoring (18.8) and three-point field goal percentage (39.8), 51
st in three-point field goals (66), 54
th in rebounds/game (10.4) and 63
rd in three-point field goals/game (2.54).
Bethel
The Royals won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Tournament Championship to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Bethel enters the weekend on a six-game winning streak and are a perfect 13-0 at home.
Taite Anderson leads the team with 20.7 PPG and is the only player in double figures. She is also the team's leading rebounder with 7.0/game.
Bethany Lutheran in the NCAA Tournament
03/01/19 at Wartburg L 63-91
