Box Score

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Saint John's basketball's mid-season win streak came to an end with an 81-63 loss at Bethel on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

SJU (9-8, 5-3 MIAC) trailed by 11 (35-24) at the half and could not overcome the deficit in the final 20 minutes, as the Royals (7-9, 4-4 MIAC) shot 61.5 percent (32-for-52) compared to the Johnnies' 39 percent (23-for-59) from the field. 

The Johnnies struggled in the paint in the first half, missing eight layups and scoring just eight points in the lane compared to Bethel's 16. SJU was 5-for-18 inside the arc in the first frame, while the Royals made 11 of 20 and out-rebounded the Johnnies, 17-5.

A three-pointer from sophomore guard Justin Johnson (Prior Lake, Minn./DeLaSalle) pushed SJU to within two points (26-24) late in the first half, but Bethel finished with a nine-point run to take a 35-24 lead into the break. 

Shooting improved for the visitors in the second half, as nine different Johnnies scored a point and combined to go 51.9 percent (14-for-27) from the floor. That improvement held little ground to the hot-shooting Royals, who missed just seven shots in the final frame, finishing at 72 percent (18-for-25) from the field and 62.5 percent (5-for-8) from three-point range. 

Junior wing Jamison Lien (Prior Lake, Minn.), who came off the bench for six second-half points, brought the deficit within six at 41-35 with 15:45 remaining, but the Royals hit five of their next six shots to a double-digit lead that held the rest of the game.

Junior guard Baiden Bean (Farmington, Minn.) scored a game- and career-high 22 points on 8 of 10 shooting (3-for-4 from three-point). Bean scored double digits in both halves and collected five rebounds, three assists and two steals. He drew four fouls and missed just one of his four chances at the line. 

Johnson was the other Johnnie in double figures with 10 points off the bench. 

Nick Burke (20), Blake Schmitz (19) and Jack Charbonneau (18) combined for a 23-for-31 night (74.2 percent) from the field and 57 of the Royals' 81 points.

The Johnnies return home to host Saint Mary's (1-16, 0-8 MIAC) for Alumni Day at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, in Sexton Arena.