MANKATO, Minn. – The Yellowjacket men's basketball team returned to the hardwood Saturday after defeating Martin Luther 77-64 on Friday. Their test would come against the top-ranked Bethany Lutheran, a team that hasn't suffered a loss in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season.
 
The Yellowjackets and Vikings traded points and the lead a total of 12 times in the first half, featuring strong showings from both teams. Early in the second Bethany Lutheran would continue to apply pressure, but the 'Jackets would go on a 6-1 run to retake the lead before the Vikings snatched it back and produced an 11-2 run.
 
From there the 'Jackets attempted to create a comeback, but the Vikings were able to hold on for the 87-70 victory on their home court.
 
Game Notes

• The Yellowjackets had four players score in the double digits, including J'Vaun Walker (Rosharon, Texas/Manvel), Josef Fahrenholtz (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield), Andrew Kunelius (Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia) and Max Briggs (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy).
• Walker finished the game with 14 points and four rebounds.
• Fahrenholtz would score 13 points in the contest, pushing his career points total to over 1,000 points.
• UWS saw 13 players take the hardwood Saturday, scoring a combined 17 points in the game.
• The Vikings were paced by Hunter Nielsen and Drew Sagedahl, scoring 24 and 21 points, respectively.
• Mason  Ackley finished with a game-high 15 rebounds, scoring eight points and stealing three for Bethany Lutheran.
• The 'Jackets finished with a shooting percentage of 41 percent from the field, compared to the Vikings' 50.7 percent.

 
The Yellowjackets (17-8, 9-5 UMAC) have secured the No. 2 seed in the UMAC Tournament. They will face off against North Central on Wednesday, with the opening tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. inside the Mertz.
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