Wojta Nets 1,000th in 88-70 Win over St. Mary's

Brycen Wojta became the 26th men's basketball player in the history of Bethel University to score 1,000 points, as he netted the milestone bucket during Wednesday's 88-70 victory over Saint Mary's University. The Royals (15-7, 10-7 MIAC) built a commanding 47-25 lead over the Cardinals (8-14, 6-11 MIAC) at the half before closing out the game with an 18-point margin. Wojta needed just two points heading into the night, after the junior guard scored 20 on Monday night at Augsburg. He wasted no time tonight, as he scored the memorable basket one minute into the game. Wojta went on to score 16 total points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 shooting from the foul line. Leading the Royals in scoring was Tim Hanson, who recorded a career-high 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Hanson also pulled down five boards and dished out two assists. Trevor Hall and Derek Magnuson each notched 16 points as well in the win. Hall's stat line also included six rebounds, four steals, and three assists, while Magnuson posted five boards, two blocks, and two assists. As a unit, the Royals shot 57.6 percent from the floor and 76.2 percent from the charity stripe. The Cardinals, however, were held to just 39.3 percent shooting throughout the night. Bethel tallied a 21-to-8 assist-to-turnover ratio, while SMU finished with 16 and 12. Perhaps the biggest difference in tonight's contest was BU's 48-12 difference in points scored in the paint. Quashingm Smith-Pugh led Saint Mary's with 17 points and three rebounds in 30 minutes played. Now 15-7 overall and 10-7 in MIAC play, Bethel closes out its regular season with two home games and a road test at Hamline in the finale. The Royals host St. Thomas this Saturday at 1 p.m., followed by a midweek matchup with Carleton on February 17 scheduled for 7 p.m.