ARDEN HILLS – Baltimore Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard. Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon. Vancouver Grizzlies center Bryant Reeves. An unnamed Clemson University football number nine.
Each of those athletes and many more were represented during “jersey night” in the northwest corner of the Bethel University Robertson Center gym Friday night. Several fans even got hold of the women’s basketball team’s practice jerseys.
Students flocked into the stands, representing nearly every color of the rainbow during the Bethel Royals’ women’s basketball team’s 81-73 win over the Millsaps College Majors in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament.
Bethel hadn’t hosted an NCAA tournament game since the 2019-2020 season, when COVID-19 shut down the tournament midway through. Combine that with the Majors’ long journey from Jackson, Mississippi, and the raucous crowd highly favored Bethel.
“The crowd plays a huge role,” Royals senior point guard Colette Duininck said. “Even when we’re down in big plays, they are constantly super loud […] and [it] definitely keeps our momentum going.”
The first half was physical, fast and loud. The Royals led 39-38 at the break, and the flamboyant crowd proved pivotal for the Royals in the third quarter. Millsaps earned seven free throw attempts in the period and missed every single one. On trips with two shots, Bethel fans shouted “Oh for one” after the first miss, leading to a second miss each time.
Still, Millsaps utilized its size advantage over the Royals to grab offensive rebounds and keep pace with resulting second-chance points.
Down 58-52 with 73 seconds left in the quarter, Bethel was getting frustrated. Junior forward Cally Peterson got fouled on a layup attempt, resulting in two free throws for the Royals. In a mini-huddle ahead of the shots, senior guard Rosie Penke jumped up and down, smiling to get the team excited.
“She was a very steady voice during that,” junior forward Emily Erickson said. “She did a really good job of calming us.”
Peterson nailed both shots from the line.
“Now that’s how you shoot free throws,” a Bethel fan in a hot pink Jordan Poole Washington Wizards jersey shouted.
Erickson, who tallied a career-high 31 points in her third career NCAA playoff game, scored a layup and grabbed the ensuing rebound on a Millsaps three-pointer attempt. Then, Penke banged a three-pointer to put the Royals up by one at the third buzzer.
They never gave the lead back.
Still, Millsaps gave the Royals a fight. Majors junior forward Tia Anderson scored 24 points – half of those coming from three-pointers – and grabbed 13 rebounds, while senior forward Elyse Warren put up her own 13 rebounds to go with 13 points. Junior guard Garrin Freeman also recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 assists.
“Their zone and their physicality gave us some trouble,” Royals head coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer said. “We’re kind of like a diesel engine. We take a little while, and once we get going, we’re pretty good.”
The Majors cut the lead back to two, thanks to offensive rebounds by Anderson and Warren, but with 2:58 remaining in the fourth, Penke hit her other three-pointer of the game, putting the Royals up five and effectively sealing the game.
With the win, the Royals move on to play Coe College Saturday night, once again at the Robertson Center gym. Should Bethel students show up one more time, regardless of the color they wear, the Royals will likely move on to play another week. And that’s all Herbrechtsmeyer wants for his team.
“These guys are playing basketball with their best friends,” Herbrechtsmeyer said. “The more we win, the more they get to do that. And I just want that for them.”
Saturday’s tip-off is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.
