ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. - Bethany men's basketball suffered an 80-67 loss at Crown on Saturday, dropping to 11-9 overall and 4-3 in the UMAC.
In a game that was close in nearly every statistical category, Crown was able to create separation at the free throw line, making 17-of-22 from the charity stripe, while Bethany made just five shots at the line out of eight.
Crown never trailed throughout the game and broke an early 4-4 tie with an 11-2 run to take the lead for good. The Polars led by as much as 13 points in the first half before the Vikings closed out the period strong, cutting the deficit to four points on a Cooper Mensink three with 20 seconds on the clock. The Polars made a last-second three to end the half up 38-31.
Crown made a three for its first bucket of the second half and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
The Vikings shot 40 percent from the floor and made 6-of-26 from beyond the arc. Crown edged the Vikings 39-36 on the boards. Max Briggs led the visitors with 21 points. Brady Ingersoll had 11 points and Jack Brockmann added 10 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
Bethany returns home Wednesday night against Martin Luther. The Knights won the first game of the season series 78-72 on Jan. 21.
