ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team hits the road on Saturday, as the Cardinals square off against Bethel in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup at Robertson Center.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (8-3 MIAC | 14-4 Overall) at Bethel Royals (8-3 MIAC | 14-4 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: Fueled by Molly O'Toole's (Plymouth, Minn.) second straight career-high 23-point  effort vs. the Pipers this season—capped by a pair of win-clinching free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining in regulation—the Cardinals held off Hamline for a 68-65 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory Wednesday at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Bethel: The Royals boasted four players in double figures—led by Sydney Schultz and Hannah Niewald with 22 points each—and cruised to a 90-77 MIAC victory over St. Catherine Wednesday at Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn. | Recap

Saint Mary's vs. Bethel—Earlier This Year:
• December 8, 2014: Bethel outscored Saint Mary's 29-21 in the second half, including scoring the game's final five points, in handing the Cardinals a 51-47 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym—and snapping their eight-game season-opening winning streak | Recap

Saint Mary's vs. Bethel—A Year Ago:
• December 4, 2013: The Cardinals found themselves in an all-too-familiar position, down by 11 at halftime in their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Bethel. And the Cardinals did hold the scoring edge over the game's final 20 minutes—but the 11-point deficit was just too big a hole to dig out of, as Bethel handed SMU a 78-69 conference setback at Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn. | Recap
• January 22, 2014: Saint Mary's suffered its lone loss of the season in their first meeting against Bethel on Dec. 4, falling to the Royals 78-69. Since that time, the Cardinals had rattled off 10 straight wins. So when the two teams squared off for the second time, the Cardinals had a little score to settle with the Royals—and settle it they did. Led by Courtney Euerle's (Litchfield, Minn.) double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, the Cardinals raced out to an 11-point first-half advantage and never looked back in handing BU a 71-54 MIAC setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• February 27, 2014: Saint Mary's has a message for the Cardinal team of 1985-86—move over. Saint Mary's tied the school record for most wins in a season—and earned their first-ever berth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title game in the process—as the Cardinals dismantled Bethel 94-63 at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
•  Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on the road on Wednesday, as they head to St. Thomas' Anderson Recreation and Athletic Complex for a 7 p.m. MIAC game against the unbeaten and nationally ranked Tommies
• Bethel: The Royals return to Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn., on Wednesday, as Bethel hosts Hamline in a 7 p.m. conference matchup.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
With their 68-65 win over Hamline Wednesday, the Cardinals ran their winning streak to six in a row. … The Cardinals have now put together winning streaks of eight and six games to account for their 14 wins. … Fueled by their current eight-game winning streak, the Cardinals head into Saturday's rematch with Bethel tied with the Royals for second in the conference standings at 8-3—one game in front of Gustavus and two better than Concordia and Saint Benedict with seven MIAC games remaining. … The Cardinals' 51-47 loss to Bethel in the teams' first meeting on Dec. 8 snapped their season-opening eight-game winning streak—their longest such streak since opening the 1985-86 season by rattling off 19 straight wins. … Saint Mary's loss to Bethel marked the second straight season the Royals have handed the Cardinals their first conference loss of the season—BU won 78-69 in the teams' first meeting a year ago. … The Cardinals' 51-47 loss to Bethel also snapped their 17-game regular-season home winning streak—dating back to a 64-54 loss to Concordia on Feb. 3, 2013. … With their win over Hamline Wednesday, the Cardinals improved to 6-1 on their home court this season and are now 31-3 at the Saint Mary's Gym over the past three seasons. … Molly O'Toole (Plymouth, Minn.) equaled her career high with 23 points against Hamline on Wednesday—including 19 points in the first half. O'Toole's other 23-point effort this season also came against the Pipers on Dec. 3. … O'Toole has now led the team in scoring in each of the Cardinals' last six games. … With her 23 points against Hamline Wednesday, O'Toole has scored 10 or more points in 14 of the team's 18 games this season. … O'Toole has now eclipsed the 20-point barrier three times this season, while Shelby Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn.) has achieved that feat twice. O'Toole scored 23 points vs. Hamline on Dec. 3 and Jan. 28, while adding 21 points vs. UW-Stout on Nov. 21, and Auseth netted 24 points against UM-Morris on Nov. 16 and 22 points against St. Olaf on Jan. 7. … Auseth was a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line en route to her 22-point effort vs. St. Olaf on Jan. 7. … The Cardinals have six players who have recorded single-game career-highs of 10 points or more this season—O'Toole (23), Meredith (17), Schaefer (15), Natalie Larson (North Branch, Minn. / 14), Sam Jones (White Bear Lake, Minn. / 12), and Kayla Lardy (Fairmont, Minn. / 10). … Saint Mary's boasted six players in double figures in its win over St. Catherine on Jan. 21—O'Toole (19), Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn. / 16), Schaefer (12), Octavia Brown (Broadview, Ill. / 11), Sara Schoenthaler (White Bear Lake, Minn. / 10), and Shelby Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn. / 10). … The Cardinals have now had six players score in double figures in each of their last two seasons—Saint Mary's had six score 10 or more points against Crown a year ago. … Saint Mary's has put four or more players in double figures five times this season—including three of their last four games. … Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) recorded her first collegiate double-double against Hamline on Dec. 3, scoring 15 points and adding a career-best 11 rebounds. The junior guard also dished out a career high eight assists. … Pethke's 11-rebound performance vs. Hamline was the second time this season a Cardinal player has recorded 10 or more rebounds in a game—Lardy hauled in a career-best 10 boards against Crown on Nov. 22. … O'Toole and Auseth head into Saturday's conference showdown with Bethel averaging in double figures at 13.8 ppg and 11.4 ppg, respectively. … O'Toole owns a team-leading 100 rebounds (5.6 rpg), eight more than Auseth. … As a team, the Cardinals drained 22 of their 23 attempts from the charity stripe against St. Olaf on Jan. 7. … Saint Mary's knocked down a season-high 12 3-pointers against North Park on Dec. 30. The Cardinals' 12 treys are the most since draining 12 3s against Carleton on Jan. 4, 2010. … As a team, the Cardinals have made 115 3-pointers this season, and have six players with 10 or more treys—Schaefer (27), Schoenthaler (19), Auseth (18), Meredith (17), O'Toole (14), and Pethke (10). … The Cardinals, who have been held under 60 points just three times this season have outscored their first 18 opponents 585-465 in the game's opening 20 minutes. … The Cardinals have held 12 of their 18 opponents to 30 points or less in the first half. … Saint Mary's is averaging 66.1 ppg, while the Cardinals' opponents are scoring at a 58.6 ppg clip. … The Cardinals made their first NCAA national tournament appearance since the 1985-86 season a year ago, falling to UW-Oshkosh 71-61 in the regional semifinal.

Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
With their 90-77 win over St. Catherine on Wednesday, the Royals pushed their winning streak to six straight and eight of their last 10. … Saturday's rematch with Saint Mary's is the second of four straight home games for the Royals, who are a perfect 6-0 on their home court this season. … Rachel Parupsky became the second-fastest Bethel player to reach 1,000 career points, as the junior poured in 15 points against the Wildcats on Wednesday. … Parupsky was one of four BU players to score in double figures vs. St. Catherine Wednesday. Sydney Schultz and Hannah Niewald led the way, netting 22 points each, while Kalli Zimmerman chipped in 16. … Thirteen of Schultz's 22 points vs. the Wildcats came in the first half, while 15 of Niewald's 22 came after halftime. … Lindy Parker hauled in a career-best 16 rebounds vs. SCU Wednesday. … Bethel has now boasted a 20-point scorer five times this season—including a season-high 27-point effort by Zimmerman against Northwestern on Nov. 18. … The Royals enter Saturday's game vs. Saint Mary's with two players—Parupsky (13.4 ppg) and Zimmerman (12.7 ppg)—averaging in double figures. … Parupsky also leads the team in rebounding with 130 boards (7.2 rpg), five more than Zimmerman. … Niewald boasts a team-best 48 assists, while Zimmerman owns a team-high 48 steals. … BU has drained 74 3-pointers through 18 games, led by Schultz with 34. … Wednesday's 90-point outburst against St. Catherine on Wednesday marked the second time this season the Royals have scored a season-high 90 points—BU beat North Central 90-33 on Dec. 9. … The Royals are averaging 66.4 ppg, while limiting their opponents to just 55.0 ppg.