WINONA, Minn.  — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team concludes its four-game homestand on Monday, as the Cardinals welcome Bethel to the Saint Mary's Gym for a 7:45 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-1 MIAC | 1-1 Overall) vs. Bethel Royals (1-0 MIAC | 4-1 Overall)
 
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Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals had visiting Augsburg on the ropes in the game's final three minutes, rallying from a 12-point halftime deficit to take a 50-49 lead. Unfortunately, Augsburg came off the ropes swinging, scoring 16 unanswered points—including 13 free throws—to escape with a 65-53 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Bethel: The Royals went toe-to-toe with No. 20-ranked St. Olaf Saturday at Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn., getting a double-double from Kyle Zimmerman in handing the Oles a 67-57 conference setback | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel—A Year Ago:
• December 4, 2013: The Cardinals clawed back from a 16-point deficit just before the half to make it a one-point game midway through the second stanza, only to have Bethel use one final run—a 13-4 burst—to put the game out of reach, as the Royals dealt Saint Mary's a 69-58 conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• January 22, 2014: Saint Mary's had its offense clicking on all cylinders, as the Cardinals erupted for 74 points in their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Bethel. Unfortunately, as good as their offense was, the Royals' was even better, as Bethel poured in 51 first-half points and held off a furious Cardinal second-half comeback in handing Saint Mary's an 88-74 setback at Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn. | Recap
 
Up Next:
•  Saint Mary's: The Cardinals hit the road for the first time this season on Wednesday, traveling to St. Thomas' Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference game against the nationally ranked Tommies.
• Bethel: The Royals return home to Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn., on Wednesday, as Bethel plays host to Hamline in a 7 p.m. MIAC game.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
Monday's matchup against Bethel is the third straight home game for the Cardinals. … Following Monday's showdown with the Royals, Saint Mary's will play four of its next five games on the road—the lone exception a 3 p.m. home contest against Viterbo on Dec. 20. … Ronnie Ortiz (Dayton, Ohio) tossed in a season-high 15 points to pace the Cardinals against Augsburg Saturday. It was the second time in as many games that the sophomore has led the team in scoring—Ortiz dropped in 14 points in the Cardinals' season-opening win over Hamline on Wednesday. … The Cardinals boasted three players in double figures in their season-opening win over Hamline last Wednesday—along with Ortiz's team-best 14 points, Saint Mary's also go 13 points from Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) and 11 from Jake Rhyner (Apple Valley, Minn.). … Ortiz heads into Monday's matchup with Bethel averaging 14.5 ppg, while Swiggum is second at 9.0 ppg. … Rhyner knocked down a team-best three 3-pointers en route to his collegiate-best 11-point effort vs. Hamline. … Swiggum and Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) each hauled in a season-high seven rebounds vs. the Auggies Saturday. … Swiggum, an honorable-mention All-MIAC selection in a year ago—and the team-leader in both scoring average (12.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.4 rpg)—has a team-high 12 rebounds (6.0 rpg) through two games. … Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) has led or shared the team lead in assists in both Cardinal games this season, and heads into Monday's game vs. Bethel with a team-best seven helpers. … Saint Mary's, which drained 113 3-pointers last season, went 8-for-12 from behind the 3-point line vs. Hamline last Wednesday, and added four more treys against Augsburg on Saturday. … The Cardinals' 70-67 win over Hamline snapped their eight-game losing streak vs. the Pipers, dating back to a 98-77 win on Feb. 10, 2010. … Last Wednesday's win over Hamline was also the Cardinals' first season-opening victory since beating Crown 78-57 to kick off the 2010-11 season.
 
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
Saturday's win over nationally ranked St. Olaf was the Royals' second straight. Bethel has now sandwiched a pair of two-game wining streaks around their lone loss of the season—a 94-74 setback at the hands of Buena Vista on Nov. 25. … Monday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of three straight road games for the Royals, who do not play on their home court until Jan. 3, when they entertain Saint John's. … Kyle Zimmerman posted a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds in the Royals' win over St. Olaf Saturday. … Bridgeport Tusler finished with a team-high 15 points against the Oles—it was the second straight game the freshman has led the team in scoring. … Tusler scored a season- and career-high 29 points in the Royals' win over Northwestern on Dec. 3. … Zimmerman has eclipsed the 20-point barrier twice this season, tossing in 26 points in BU's season-opening victory over UW-River Falls on Nov. 15, and adding 22 points vs. Northwestern on Dec. 3. … The Royals, who are averaging 74.4 ppg, head into Monday's showdown with Saint Mary's boasting three players averaging in double figures—Tusler (19.3 ppg), Zimmerman (17.6 ppg) and Brycen Wojta (14.2 ppg). … Zimmerman also leads the team in rebounds (39. 7.8 rpg) and steals (14), while Wojta has dished out a team-leading 12 assists. … Eight different Royals have netted at least one 3-pointer this season, led by Tusler with eight and Wojta with seven. … The Royals have already played one overtime game this season, outscoring Northwestern 13-4 in the five-minute extra period to beat the Eagles 84-75 on Dec. 3.