ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Bethel University shot 62.5 percent from the field in the second half to down the St. Olaf College men's basketball team, 71-61, in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) matchup on Saturday afternoon at the Robertson Center.

St. Olaf (7-5, 3-4 MIAC) held Bethel (7-3, 4-3 MIAC) to a season-low-tying 25 first-half points on its way to a five-point halftime lead, but the Royals were 15-for-24 (62.5 percent) from the field in the second half to claim the win. Joey Kidder, Zach Doley, and Myles Coleman combined to score 36 of Bethel's 46 second-half points.

Kidder led Bethel with 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting while playing 39 minutes for the Royals, who also got 18 points and nine rebounds from Doely. Coleman added 16 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes, while Isaiah Rollins was also in double figures with 10. Bethel, which played just seven student-athletes in the win, shot 49.0 percent (25-for-51) from the field in the game and limited St. Olaf to a 36.5 percent clip (23-for-63).

Junior Charlie Haff matched Kidder with a career-high 19 points on 7-for-12 from the field, including going 3-for-6 from behind the arc, and added five rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal for St. Olaf. Sophomore Connor Martin had 13 of his 15 points in the second half while recording three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Junior Jake Weber scored a season-high 12 points, going 4-for-8 from three-point range, to go with seven rebounds and five assists.

Haff made his first four shots – two from behind the arc – to score 10-straight points for St. Olaf over the first 2:57 of the game to propel the Oles to an early 13-5 lead. The Royals responded by holding the Oles scoreless for nearly six minutes during a 9-0 run to take a 14-13 lead. First year Addison Metcalf snapped the St. Olaf drought with five-straight points to give the Oles the lead back midway through the half.

Later in the half, St. Olaf broke a 22-22 tie with a 6-0 run and took a five-point lead into the locker room after a late layup by junior Brendan Kauls. Haff led all scorers with 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting in the opening half and the Oles' defense forced 11 Bethel turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.

Martin started the second half with a layup to push St. Olaf's lead to seven, which was the largest lead of the half for either team until the final minute. The Oles held the lead until a three-pointer by Jake Wald – his only points of the game – with 13:26 remaining put the Royals on top. Trailing 46-43, St. Olaf went on a 7-0 run to grab a four-point lead with 9:19 to play before being outscored by a 25-11 margin the rest of the way.

Another layup by Martin with 5:24 to go broke a 55-55 tie but was the last points for the Oles until the sophomore hit a pair of free throws with 1:36 to go, as the Royals went on a decisive 7-0 run to take the lead for good.

St. Olaf visits Saint John's for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Monday, Jan. 10 in Collegeville.