ST. PETER, Minn. – After a back-and-forth battle to start the game Friday night, Bethany fell into a scoring drought and was never able to recover, losing 86-70 at No. 7 Gustavus in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Vikings close their season 16-12 overall.
The first 12 minutes of the game was a seesaw affair with eight lead changes. Brady Ingersoll hit the Vikings' first bucket for three and Jack Brockmann followed with a driving layup for an early 5-2 lead. The Gusties regained the advantage with a three but Will Walter was good from long range at the 15:57 mark, giving the visitors a 10-8 advantage.
With 11:05 on the clock, Hudsen Jenniges completed an and-one play to go up 18-17, but the Gusties hit a three on the ensuing possession and never trailed the rest of the game. Bethany went nearly four minutes without scoring while the Gusties finished the half on a 26-11 run for a 46-31 lead at the break.
Gustavus made 9-of-22 from beyond the arc in the first half, while the Vikings converted just 3-of-14. The home team also scored 15 second-chance points in the first 20 minutes.
Bethany competed well in the second half, but the scoring deficit was too much to overcome. Gustavus increased its lead to as much as 22 points with eight minutes remaining, but the Vikings did not go without a fight. The visitors scored eight straight points, capped by a three and a couple free throws by Walter, making the score 75-61 with 5:39 on the clock. Gustavus was able to regain a 20-point advantage, though, and time was in its favor to end the game.
After shooting 36.4 percent in the first half, the Vikings shot 51.9 percent in the second, but made just 5-of-22 threes in the game. Bethany also committed 18 turnovers, which led to 28 points for the home team.
Brockmann led the offense with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including a game-high 12 rebounds. Max Briggs and Walter each had 13 points, and Jenniges added 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Bethany has made it to the NCAA tournament four consecutive years and does not graduate a single senior from this season's team.
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