St. Bonifacius, Minn. — The Polars men's basketball team hosted Bethel on Saturday afternoon, falling on a last-second shot in the second overtime 89–87.
The Polars opened the game on a tear, scoring the first 6 points behind finishes from Anthony Knight and Parker Behne. After Bethel's first basket, Crown added 10 straight to build a 16–3 lead with under fourteen minutes left in the half. During the surge, the Polars forced 5 turnovers and held the Royals to 1-of-7 shooting. Tristan Youngblood and Colby Deluce each hit early threes, while Tyler Smith and Behne added 4 points apiece.
Bethel responded with a 9–4 run, but Knight scored 4 straight to keep the Polars in control. Three consecutive Crown three-pointers — two from Deluce and one from Behne — stretched the lead to 33–21 with four and a half minutes left. Bethel trimmed the margin slightly, but Crown entered halftime leading 39–29.
The second half opened with another Behne finish at the rim, followed by a Deluce three that pushed the lead to 15. Bethel hit back-to-back threes, but Crown answered with an 11-point burst powered by Royston's two layups and Knight's and-one. The Polars led by as many as 18 with just over twelve minutes remaining.
Bethel mounted a steady comeback, cutting the margin to 10 with under eight minutes left. The Royals then hit back-to-back threes to pull within 4, outscoring the Polars 18–4 over six minutes. Royston ended a four-minute scoring drought with a jumper, but Bethel answered with a three and a fast-break dunk to bring the game within 1 — the closest it had been since the opening tip.
Crown went 8–8 from the free-throw line in the final two and a half minutes, but a foul on a corner three with two seconds left sent Bethel to the line and sent Smith to the bench with 5 fouls. The Royals made all three free throws to force overtime despite never leading in regulation.
Overtime was back-and-forth, with Bethel striking first and Crown answering with two Youngblood free throws. The Polars led for most of the period, but Bethel forced a second overtime with a last-second three. The second overtime followed a similar pattern, with Crown leading or tied for nearly the entire period. Bethel went ahead by 3 with eighteen seconds left, but Behne drilled a clutch three with five seconds remaining. With no timeouts, Bethel inbounded quickly and went coast-to-coast for a contested buzzer-beater to escape with the win.
Behne made a major impact in his return to the starting lineup, finishing with 26 points on 9–16 shooting, including 6–6 from the free-throw line, along with 8 rebounds. Knight led the Polars with 27 points, going 7–7 from the line with 4 assists and 3 steals. Deluce added 12 points, 5 rebounds, no turnovers, and shot 4–5 from deep. Smith and Royston each scored 8, with Smith posting 15 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 blocks, and 4 steals, finishing just two points short of a triple-double.
As a team, Crown went 18–19 (94.7%) from the free-throw line — despite not attempting a free throw in the first half. Bethel held the edge in shooting percentages, finishing 6 points better from the floor and 5 points better from three, making 4 more three-pointers overall. Crown outrebounded the Royals 45–38, recorded 6 more assists, and posted 5 more steals while committing 5 fewer turnovers.
Crown returns home on Tuesday, December 9, hosting Trinity Bible College at 7 p.m., following the women's game at 5 p.m. The Polars then travel to the University of North Dakota for an exhibition before two more December games leading into conference play.
