ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Junior Addison Metcalf scored a career-high 22 points off the bench to spark the St. Olaf College men's basketball team to a 79-72 road victory over Bethel University on Saturday afternoon at Robertson Center.

Metcalf shot 6-for-8 from three-point range and 7-for-10 from the field to lead St. Olaf (6-8, 5-4 MIAC) to its fourth victory in its last six trips to Bethel (7-7, 4-5 MIAC). The junior's 22-point performance surpassed his previous career high of 15 points from an 88-77 win at Augsburg University earlier this season on Dec. 9, and his six made three-pointers were the most by an Ole since Nathan Hendler '23 was 6-for-7 in a 94-87 overtime loss at Gustavus Adolphus College on Dec. 7, 2022.

In addition to his long-distance barrage, Metcalf pulled down a career-high seven rebounds in the win. Fifth-year senior Brendan Kauls registered his first collegiate double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds on an afternoon where he was 2-for-3 from three-point range. Senior Connor Martin also hit a pair of three-pointers and finished with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting to go with a team-high four assists.

As a team, St. Olaf was 12-for-23 (52.2 percent) from behind the arc, with the 12 made three-pointers marking the program's highest total since making 12 in a 79-77 win over the University of Northwestern on Dec. 30, 2022. The Oles entered the game shooting 31.1 percent from three-point range as a team this season and averaging 5.8 made three-pointers per game.

Zach Doely led Bethel with a 16-point, 15-rebound double-double, as all five Royal starters were in double figures in the loss. Bethel's starting five accounted for 64 of the Royals' 72 points, as the Oles' bench outscored that of the Royals by a 32-8 margin. St. Olaf also committed a season-low seven turnovers in the victory.

Both teams shot over 50.0 percent from the field in the opening half, as Bethel took a 41-38 lead into the locker room in a half that neither team led by more than seven. After falling in a 7-2 hole early, St. Olaf fought back to take its first lead of the game at 23-19 after Metcalf scored eight points in the span of 1:58 midway through the half.

Metcalf's second three-pointer of the eight-point spurt gave the Oles their largest lead of the half at 23-19, as St. Olaf trailed by three at the break after Kauls beat the buzzer with a three-pointer from the right corner to cut Bethel's lead in half. St. Olaf's bench outscored Bethel's 15-4 in the opening half.

The hosts extended their lead to seven by scoring the first four points of the second half before the Oles went on a 13-4 run that included eight points from Martin to grab a 41-49 lead with 16:04 remaining. St. Olaf extended the run to 23-6 over a six-minute stretch to take its largest lead of the game at 60-51 with 13:62 to go following a jumper by sophomore Kobe Kirk.

Bethel clawed its way back and took a 69-66 lead with 5:36 remaining before Metcalf connected on three three-pointers to score the game's next nine points and put the Oles ahead 75-69 with 1:21 on the clock. After Payton Thomsen's layup with 5:36 to play, Bethel missed eight consecutive field goals and a pair of free throws, and St. Olaf made 4-of-6 free throws late to clinch the win.

The Oles look to make it three wins in a row when the College of St. Scholastica visits Skoglund Center for a 6:45 p.m. start on Monday, Jan. 15 following the women's game.