Bethel basketball took on St. John’s in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men’s basketball matchup on Saturday afternoon. What a doozy. Bethel came into the game with 16 wins on the season while the Johnnies had 22 wins at tipoff. Both teams put on quite a show for a packed house at the Robertson Center.
I don’t know for sure if the team’s were nervous going into the game but they played like it early on. They both had already qualified for the MIAC playoffs which began the following week. But, the Johnnies and the Royals put up a lot of shots in the first half and I lost count halfway through the period as to the number of bunnies that both teams missed under their respective baskets. St. John’s led a low-scoring game, 26-25 at the half.
The tempo and the number of made baskets picked up dramatically in the second half. The Johnnies outscored the Royals by six points (47-41) after halftime, thanks to a combination of deadly three-point shooting, key free throws, and a couple of iffy officiating calls very late in the game. Irregardless of whether you thought the calls were good or not, St. John’s capitalized and came out of there with a hard-fought MIAC win.
Physical strength in the post played a big factor in the St. John’s win. Johnnie’s center Zach Hanson scored a game-high 19 points (8 of 17 shooting) on the block, with Bethel unable to stop his running hook shots in the lane. The big Johnnie completed a double-double with 10 rebounds. Colton Codute added 17 points and Jubie Alade, one of the smoother guards you’ll see in the MIAC, added 12 points.
Bethel basketball senior guard Jack Jenson likely needed an oxygen mask after the game. He played 38 of the 40 minutes in the game, including all 20 minutes of the second half. Jenson finished as the top scorer for Bethel with 14 points, while forwards Isaiah Carver-Bagley and Chandler Wellman each scored 13 points.
Three-point shooting along with free throws were likely the difference in the game. Bethel outshot St. John’s overall, but the Johnnies held a nine-point advantage outside the arc, making 6 treys (18 points) to just three (9 points) from long range for Bethel basketball.
Free throws were also a big advantage for St. John’s, much to the irritation of Bethel fans on hand. St. John’s was 15 of 21 at the stripe while the Royals made just nine of 14 tries.
The one place the Royals had more success on offense was in the paint, outscoring the Johnnies 48-36. In this case, it was outside shooting that made the difference in the game for both teams.
Both teams are getting set to open up the MIAC playoffs during the week ahead.