ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team hits the road on Wednesday, traveling to Bethel for a 7:30 p.m. conference showdown with the Royals.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-4 MIAC | 4-7 Overall)
at Bethel Royals (6-2 MIAC | 8-3 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals evened their conference record at 4-4 on Saturday, getting 23 points from Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) in a 65-69 MIAC win over Macalester in St. Paul, Minn. … Bethel, meanwhile, managed just 36 points in falling to St. Olaf 43-36 Saturday in Arden Hills, Minn.

SMU vs. Bethel — Earlier This Year:
December 10, 2011: For the second game in a row, the Cardinals found themselves staring at a 20-plus point halftime deficit. Unfortunately, for the second game in a row, the Cardinals' second-half rally ran out of time, as Bethel held on down the stretch in handing SMU a 68-60 MIAC setback at the SMU Gym.

SMU vs. Bethel — A Year Ago:
December 6, 2010: The Cardinals' conference-opening run hit a brick wall against the Royals, as Bethel handed the Cardinals their first MIAC loss of the season, a 60-48 decision at Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn.
January 26, 2011: Cherie Kulig sparked a game-ending 15-5 run with seven straight points that helped SMU hold off Bethel en route to a 61-47 MIAC victory at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are back in action — and back on the road — on Saturday, traveling to Augsburg for a 3 p.m. conference game against the Auggies in Minneapolis, Minn. … Bethel, meanwhile, is also on the road on Saturday, traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for a 1 p.m. MIAC tilt against Hamline.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule | 2011-12 Media Guide
Wednesday's game at Bethel is the second straight road game for the Cardinals. … With Saturday's 65-59 win over Macalester, the Cardinals are now 2-1 in their last three games. … Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) scored a career-high 25 points against Macalester Saturday. The junior also hauled in 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season and fifth of her collegiate career. … Stefely's 25-point effort vs. the Scots marked the second time in her career that she has eclipsed the 20-point barrier. Stefely netted a then-career best 21 points against Augsburg on Jan. 19, 2011. … Stefely has now scored in double figures in seven of the team's 11 games. … Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) and Courtney Euerle (Hutchinson, Minn.) each chipped in 13 points against the Scots Saturday. … Euerle has now scored 13 points in back-to-back games, and has reached double figures in each of the team's last three games. … Adrianna Stephens (Madison, Wis.) scored a career-high 15 points in last Wednesday's 69-45 loss at Gustavus, as the Cardinal freshman went 5-for-13 from the field — including a 3-for-6 performance from behind the 3-point line. … Thone has recorded three of the Cardinals' top four offensive outputs, scoring a season-high 23 points vs. Concordia, 19 against Elmhurst and 17 vs. UW-La Crosse. … Thone's 23-point effort vs. Concordia on Dec. 7 marked the fourth time in her career that she has scored 20 or more points, and was four points shy of her career-best 27 points scored vs. Carleton on Jan. 4, 2010. … Thone enters Wednesday's game at Bethel boasting a team-leading 11.2 ppg. … Stefely and Euerle are also averaging in double figures at 10.9 and 10.1 ppg, respectively. … Euerle and Stefely each notched their first double-doubles of the season in SMU's 58-57 conference-opening win over Carleton on Nov. 30, marking SMU's first double, double-double since Stefely and Thone hit double figures in both points and rebounds against Macalester on Dec. 4, 2010. … Stefely leads the team in rebounds with 91 (8.3 rpg). … The Cardinals, who are averaging 58.1 ppg this season, have knocked down 52 3-pointers, led by Thone with 15. … SMU's 69-44 victory over St. Catherine on Jan. 2 snapped the Cardinals' season-high four-game losing streak, and gave SMU its first road win of the season. … The Cardinals' 69 points against the Wildcats on Jan. 2 were a season high. … SMU also recorded season-highs in field goals (30), field goal attempts (78), 3-point attempts (23), rebounds (51), steals (15) and blocked shots (7) against St. Catherine.

Bethel Royals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the fourth straight home game for the Royals, who are in the midst of a stretch of seven home games in an eight-game span. … Saturday's 43-36 loss to St. Olaf was Bethel's second straight loss. The Royals' two-game losing streak comes on the heels of a season-high eight-game winning streak. … Bethel's 36 points against the Oles were a season-low. It marked the second time this season that the Royals have been held under 45 points. …  Taylor Shelley scored a team-high 14 points against St. Olaf. Shelley has now led the team in scoring in each of their 11 games — scoring 10 or more points in all 11 games. … Shelley has scored 20 or more points four times ¬— including a season-high 27-point effort against Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 19. … Shelley enters Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's with a 19.2 ppg scoring average. She is the only Royal averaging in double figures. … As a team, Bethel is averaging 58.9 ppg, while allowing 58.5 ppg. … The Royals have been dominating in the first half, outscoring their opponents 340-278. BU holds a 308-300 scoring advantage after halftime.