ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — For the second time this season, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team eclipsed the 80-point barrier Wednesday evening—erupting for 82 points in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest against Bethel.
 
Unlike their season-opening, 84-50 rout of Martin Luther, however, surpassing the 80-point mark was not enough to earn the Cardinals a victory against the high-powered Royals.
 
Bethel erupted for 53 first-half points—and its offense never cooled off—as the Royals dealt the Cardinals a 99-82 setback at Robertson Center Gym.
 
The Royals scored the game's first five points—and never relinquished the lead, building their advantage to 13, 21-8, six minutes into the opening half. A 16-6 Saint Mary's run cut the Bethel lead to three, 27-24, and a pair of half-ending, Cole Kruger (Hayfield, Minn.) free throws pulled the Cardinals within five, 53-48, at the half.
 
Saint Mary's kicked off the second half scoring five of the first seven points—a Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) layup and a 3-pointer by Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.)—to make it a two-point game, 55-53. The Royals, however, answered with six straight points to push their lead back to eight, 61-53, and the Cardinals would get no closer than six the rest of the way in dropping its second straight conference contest.
 
Smith-Pugh finished with a team-leading 23 points—one shy of his career high—while Gleason chipped in 13, and Kruger and Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) each added 11. As a team, the Cardinals shot 50 percent from the field (29-for-58)—including draining 8 of 24 3-point attempts—while adding a 16-for-20 showing from the free throw line.
 
Bethel put five players in double figures, led by Bridgeport Tusler with 23 and Bryce Wojta with 20. Bethel finished 34-for-61 from the field (56 percent) and made the most of their trips to the free throw line, knocking down 27 of 39.
 
The Cardinals (1-2 MIAC, 3-3 overall) are back in action on Saturday, returning home to the Saint Mary's Gym for a 3 p.m. conference showdown with Gustavus.