By Tyler Buckentine
MANKATO — Tommy Saffert hit an early 3-pointer to give the Bethany Lutheran men’s basketball team a one-point advantage. Then everything went cold for Saffert and the Vikings.
Poor shooting in the first half doomed BLC in a 68-61 loss to nonconference opponent Bethel Tuesday night in the home opener at the BLC Sports and Fitness Center.
“Coach wants me to take the shot any time I’m open so I’m not going to stop taking open shots,” said Saffert, a senior point guard who finished the first half 1 for 7 from the field.
“We haven’t been shooting great as a team but we do have good shooters.”
The Vikings shot 22 percent in the first half and trailed 36-21 at the break. The Royals opened their lead to 17 early in the second half, the biggest of the game.
That’s when BLC started cooking. The Vikings rattled off 13 straight points over a four-minute span to cut the lead to four.
“We played a lot harder on offense and defense tonight even though the shots weren’t really falling,” said senior wing Jeff Zimmerman.
Suddenly, the Vikings were right back in the game and controlled the momentum. Saffert said BLC often “folded” when it faced a double-digit deficit so far this season.
BLC head coach Rick Jeddeloh agreed: “In the past few games, when we get down by 14 or 15 points, we just kind of go through the motions. I’m glad we didn’t do that tonight.”
BLC came close to tying the game several times down the stretch but turnovers and missed free throws hurt the Vikings when they had chances to knot the score.
“At the end of the game we had a few turnovers when we wanted to get shots,” said Saffert, who finished with 11 points.
Zimmerman hit a pair of free throws to cut the lead to one point with just under three minutes to play but the Vikings couldn’t overcome the Royals’ size down low as Bethel pulled away.
“I told the guys a loss is a loss but tonight we came back and made it a game at the end.” said Zimmerman, BLC’s only bright spot through the first 20 minutes with 13 points at the half. He finished with 25 points and made all nine free-throw attempts.
Derek Peterson and Gavin Kroehler finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Trevor Bartelt struggled from the field (0 for 10).
“We’re all good shooters, and I think their defense had something to do with it,” Jeddeloh said. “When we shoot well it’s because of our screens, and that’s something we’re working to improve.”
The Vikings (0-5) are still looking for their first win. Bethany plays Minnesota State 7 p.m., Tuesday at Bresnan Arena.
