DULUTH, Minn. - Bethany men's basketball earned its fifth consecutive victory Saturday with an 83-74 decision over former UMAC rival St. Scholastica, improving to 7-3 overall.Â
Max Briggs was the player of the game after recording a season-high 31 points. Over half of his points came from the charity stripe as Briggs matched his own program record with 16 made free throws. Briggs has scored double figures in all 10 games this season and upped his season average to a team-best 17.8 points per game.Â
Briggs started the game with a layup on the first possession and the Vikings held the lead for the entire first half. Jack Brockmann slammed a pair of dunks early in the game to cap a 9-0 run, giving the Vikings a quick 11-2 advantage. Bethany led by as much as 10 points in the first half and carried a 33-26 lead into the break.Â
St. Scholastica slowly chipped away at the lead and eventually tied the game at 47 with 12:45 on the clock. The Saints took their first lead of the game on a three-pointer at the 11:12 mark and gained their largest advantage of four points with eight minutes to go. The Vikings responded with an 8-0 run to regain the lead and never looked back.Â
Bethany shot 46.3 percent from the floor but made just 4-of-22 from long range. Behind Briggs on the statsheet was Brockmann with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including a team-high seven rebounds. Will Walter added 12 points off the bench.Â
The Vikings hit the road again on Wednesday night, traveling to Wartburg.Â
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