ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team takes to the road on Saturday, as the Cardinals travel to Bethel for a 3 p.m. MIAC showdown against the Royals at Robertson Center.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-14 MIAC | 4-18 Overall)
at Bethel Royals (8-9 MIAC | 12-10 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Action:
The Cardinals boasted three players in double figures, as SMU used a 12-2 second-half run to pull away from Macalester in handing the Scots a 58-46 MIAC setback at the SMU Gym Wednesday. … Bethel, meanwhile, has been off since Monday, when the Royals — despite a pair of double-double performances from Taylor Hall and Kyle Zimmerman — dropped a 75-64 conference decision to nationally ranked and league-leading St. Thomas at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minn.

SMU vs. Bethel — Earlier This Year:
January 12, 2013: Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) tossed in a game-high 26 points, while the SMU defense made Bethel leading scorer Taylor Hall a non-factor, holding the high-scoring forward to just nine points — 13 points below his league-leading average. And while Burfeind was winning the scoring battle, the Cardinals were also winning the war, as SMU rallied from a game-opening 14-point defecit to beat the Royals 75-72 at the SMU Gym.

SMU vs. Bethel — A Year Ago:
January 11, 2012: Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) knocked down a pair of clutch 3-pointers — accounting for six of his seven points on the night — in the game's final minutes and Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) scored a game-high 23 points in leading the Cardinals to their second straight win, a 51-49 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Bethel at the SMU Gym.
February 13, 2012: The Cardinals got double-figure scoring from Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn. and Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.), but Bethel used some timely runs to hold off the Cardinals, handing SMU a 60-46 MIAC setback at Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are back on the road on Wednesday, when SMU travels to Collegeville, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with Saint John's at Sexton Arena. … Bethel, meanwhile, is back on its home court on Wednesday, as the Royals host Hamline in a 7:30 p.m. contest at Robertson Center.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
After three straight home games, the Cardinals hit the road for their next two contests, beginning Saturday at Bethel. … With Wednesday's 58-46 win, the Cardinals improved to 9-1 against Macalester under coach Todd Landrum. … Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) scored a game-high 17 points against Macalester, while Brian Thomas (Bellwood, Ill.) and Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) each chipped in 14. … Thomas' 14-point effort — which included 10 points during a key 12-2 second-half run — was a career high. … Burfeind, who became the 25th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points against Concordia on Feb. 3, has now scored in double figures in 38 of his last 44 games and 46 times in his collegiate career. … Among Burfeind's 46 double-figure performances have been 15 games of 20 or more points — including seven this season. … Burfeind owns the team's top four scoring performances this season — netting a season-high 28 points against Bethany Lutheran on Dec. 12, tallying 26 points against Crown (Dec. 18) and Bethel (Jan. 12), and scoring 24 vs. Concordia (Feb. 3). … Burfeind heads into Saturday's conference game at Bethel with a team-best 16.8 ppg scoring average. … Burfeind is one of four Cardinals averaging in double figures — Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis. / 11.6 ppg), Schumacher (10.3 ppg) and Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn. / 10.2 ppg) are the other three. … Swiggum pulled down a game- and career-high 14 rebounds against Macalester Wednesday. … Swiggum, who has led the team in rebounding in 13 of the Cardinals' 22 games this season, enters Saturday's game against Macalester with a team-best 160 rebounds (7.3 rpg). … Swiggum, who has scored in double figures 11 times this season, netted a career-high 24 points against Augsburg on Jan. 19, and followed that up with a 23-point effort against Hamline two days later. The 24- and 23-point games marked the first two times in  his collegiate career that Swiggum has eclipsed the 20-point barrier. … Swiggum's 23 points and Pederson's 22 vs. Hamline on Jan. 21 marked the first time this season the Cardinals have boasted two players with 20 or more points in the same game. …The Cardinals have posted three games this season with four double-figure scorers. … Swiggum owns a team-leading three double-doubles this season. … Pederson has dished out 93 assists for the season — the most since the 2001-02 season, when Lance Larson recorded 94 assists. … Pederson has recorded a career-best nine assists twice this season. … The Cardinals knocked down a season-high 30 free throws on 36 attempts vs. Hamline on Jan. 21 — including a 24-for-28 effort in the second half. … After averaging 57.8 ppg a year ago, the Cardinals are on a 61.1 ppg clip this season. … SMU's 78 points against Hamline on Jan. 21 equaled its season high — the Cardinals also scored 78 points against North Central on Nov. 17.

Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of three straight home games to close out the regular season for the Royals, who at 8-9 are currently two games back of Carleton and Saint John's for the sixth and final MIAC playoff spot. … Eight of Bethel's 12 wins this season have come on their home court. … Monday's 75-64 loss to league-leading St. Thomas pushed Bethel's losing streak to three straight. It's the second time this season the Royals have dropped three consecutive games. … Bethel boasted a pair of double-double performers against St. Thomas Monday — Taylor Hall scored 20 points and added 10 rebounds, while Kyle Zimmerman tallied 19 points and 14 boards. … Hall has now recorded six double-doubles this season, with Zimmerman notching his fifth. … Hall has now led the team in scoring in eight of its last nine games, the lone exception coming vs. St. Olaf last Saturday, when J.D. Robinson poured in a season-best 24 points. … Hall, who enters Saturday's game against Saint Mary's averaging a team- and league-best 22.0 ppg, has recorded 13 games of 20 or more points — including three games of 30 or more. … Hall scored a season-high 37 points against Carleton on Jan. 27, while adding 35-point efforts against St. Scholastica on Nov. 17 and vs. St. Olaf on Jan. 5. … Zimmerman also heads into Saturday's game vs. the Cardinals averaging in double figures, scoring at a 12.4 ppg clip. … Along with his scoring prowess, Hall is also the team-leader with 206 rebounds (9.8 rpg), with Zimmerman also eclipsing the 100-rebound plateau with 127 (7.1 rpg). … Bethel boasts three players — Hall (67), Quinn Gorski (58) and Aden Casey (53) — with 50 or more assists. … The Royals have five players with 10 or more 3-pointers, led by Robinson with 43. … Bethel is averaging 73.4 ppg and has scored 70 or more points in 14 of its 22 games — including three games of 90 or more points. Bethel scored a season-best 93 points twice in the span of seven days — beating Martin Luther 93-80 on Dec. 8, then dropping Crown 93-68 on Dec. 15.