ST. PAUL, Minn. --   Coming into Monday's game the Royals' basketball program had beaten St. Kate's in 11 straight matchups; unfortunately, they extended that run to an even dozen.  Despite shooting the ball well from the outside (7-14 from beyond the arc), the Wildcats fell to 7-4 overall, 6-3 in the MIAC. In the effort, Sam Orth scored 10 points and had 8 rebounds. Greta Schimnowski and Karis Zezza each scored 8.

Things looked bright off the tip: Rachel Randleman hit a three on the opening possession.  While the play was fairly even in the early going, efficient offense by the Wildcats gave them a modest lead. When Greta Schimnowski converted on a screen-and-roll feed from Bree Glynn, the Wildcats were up 19-12.  Regrettably, things went the other way in the second quarter: the Royals started playing opportunistic defense (11 steals in the first half) and kept making their way to the free throw line (12 of 16 from the line in the first half). At the break, Bethel led 34-29.

It was more of the same in the third quarter, as the bounces, rim-rolls and close calls went the way of the Royals. Scoring from down low and from beyond the arc, they extended their lead to 52-40 by the end of the frame. The Wildcats came out with some fight in the fourth, as a midrange jumper by Karis Zezza cut the deficit to single digits with 7:30 left. But Bethel quickly pushed it back to a 13-point cushion in the next couple of possessions. A layup by Sam Orth and a pair of foul shots by Maddie Young with 1:38 remaining made it an 8-point game, and that's how it ended.

The Wildcats will host Augsburg Wednesday, the 11^th at 7 pm.