NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College men's basketball team saw its six-game winning streak come to an end with an 81-71 Senior Night loss to visiting Bethel University on Monday evening at Skoglund Center.

Bethel (11-11, 8-9 MIAC) shot 58.5 percent (31-for-53) from the field and had four scorers in double figures to complete the regular-season sweep of St. Olaf (14-10, 10-9 MIAC). Senior Dominic Bledsoe led all scorers with 22 points on his Senior Night for the Oles, who shot just 38.1 percent (24-for-63) after shooting above 50.0 percent in four of their last seven games.

Bledsoe was 8-for-15 from the field and 6-for-6 at the free-throw line to score at least 20 points for the eighth time this season. Junior Charlie Haff and sophomore Connor Martin were both in double figures off the bench, as Haff had 14 points and eight rebounds while Martin added 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Senior Nathan Hendler chipped in with 12 points and hit three three-pointers in the loss.

Jaren Tschetter scored a team-high 18 points and pulled down six rebounds for Bethel, which outscored St. Olaf by a 50-32 margin in the paint. Zach Doely was 8-for-10 from the field and had 17 points, while Tommy Jensen and Caden Boettcher registered 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Before the game, St. Olaf recognized its four members of the Class of 2022: Dominic Bledsoe, Niko Polydorou, Joe Thursby, and Carter Uphus for their contributions to the program over their careers in an on-court ceremony along with their families.

Tschetter scored the first six points of the game for Bethel as the teams exchanged the lead four times early on. A three-point play by Bledsoe with 11:57 in the opening half gave the Oles what amounted to their largest lead of the game at 15-12 before the Royals went on a 9-0 run to take a lead they would hold onto the rest of the way.

After trailing by seven at 26-19, St. Olaf closed the gap to three on a basket Martin with 5:34 to go in the half, but Bethel replied with a 9-2 run to take its first double-digit-point lead of the night at 36-26 with 2:20 remaining. The Oles got a late three-pointer from Haff and a three-point play from Bledsoe but went into the locker room down by 10, 42-32, after the Royals shot 61.5 percent (16-for-26) from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

Bledsoe had six early points in the second half and Hendler hit a three-pointer to help St. Olaf trim its deficit to four, 47-43, with 15:39 to play. The Oles got as close as one at 49-48 with 12:50 on the clock after a three-pointer by junior Michael Meriggioli and a layup by Martin only for Bethel to score the game's next 10 points to open up an 11-point lead with less than 10 minutes remaining.

The Royals led by at least nine for the final 10:20 of the game and held their largest lead of the night at 68-52 with 4:57 to go. Jensen had all 11 of his points in the second half for the visitors, while Bledsoe scored 12 points after the break for the Oles.

With the loss, St. Olaf will be either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the upcoming MIAC Playoffs, depending on the outcome of their regular season finale at St. Scholastica on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. and the outcome of Bethel's game at Carleton.