WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team returns home on Wednesday, as the Cardinals host Bethel in a 7 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-0 MIAC, 6-1 Overall) vs. Bethel Royals (2-0 MIAC, 6-1 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—December 3, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals got a career-high 20 points from Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) and a career-best 12 assists from Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.), as Saint Mary's picked up its second straight conference win, beating Carleton 60-56 at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Bethel—December 5, 2016 * St. Paul, Minn.: The Royals scored 20 or more points in all four quarters—including a 22-8 first-quarter run—as Bethel cruised to an 88-48 win over Concordia-St Paul at Ericksen Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel—A Year Ago:
• February 10, 2016 * Arden Hills, Minn.: Saint Mary's coach Brent Pollari knew his Cardinals were going to be in for a knock-down, drag-out battle when they took the court against Bethel. How right he was. Unfortunately for the first-year head coach, when the final horn sounded, it was the Royals who were still standing, as Bethel survived Saint Mary's fourth-quarter haymakers in handing the Cardinals a 77-74 conference setback at Robertson Center | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are right back on their home court on Saturday, entertaining Gustavus in a 1 p.m. conference matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• Bethel: The Royals return to MIAC play on Friday, heading to Macalester's Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn., for a 5:45 showdown with the Scots.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against Bethel is the second of seven straight home games for the Cardinals, who improved to 48-5 on their home court over the past five seasons with last Saturday's 60-56 win over Concordia. … With their win over Concordia last Saturday, the Cardinals pushed their winning streak to five straight. … The Cardinals' last two wins have come by a combined five points—61-60 over Carleton last Wednesday, and 60-56 vs. Concordia three days later. … Last Wednesday's win over Carleton was Saint Mary's first overtime game of the season—and first since a 79-73 win over Concordia on Feb. 7, 2015. … Saint Mary's has now won its last four overtime games. The last Cardinal loss in OT was against Concordia on Jan. 29, 2012, falling 60-59. … Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) scored a career-high 20 points to pace three Cardinal double-figure scorers against Concordia last Saturday. … Huisman accounted for 13 of the team's 17 fourth-quarter points in the Cardinals' win over Concordia last Saturday. … Sam Jones (White Bear Lake, Minn.) and Brittney Flom (Kenyon, Minn.) chipped in 16 and 10 points, respectively, vs. the Cobbers. … Huisman became the second Cardinal this season to eclipse the 20-point barrier—Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) netted a season-high 23 points in the Cardinals' OT win over Carleton last Wednesday. … Blattner and Kaitlin Keefe (Chatfield, Minn.) each recorded double-doubles against Carleton last Wednesday—Blattner scored 23 points and added 17 rebounds, while Keefe chipped in 10 points and 11 boards. It was Blattner's third double-double of the season—and 12^th of her collegiate career—while Keefe's was her first in a Cardinal uniform. … Blattner's 17 rebounds were two shy of her school-record 19-rebound effort against UW-Eau Claire on Dec. 29, 2015. … Blattner and Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) both failed to score in double figures against Concordia last Saturday, snapping their streaks of six straight games with 10 or more points. … Huisman became the fourth different player to lead the team in scoring with her 20 points against Concordia last Saturday. Blattner, Schaefer, and Jones have all led the team in scoring twice this season. … Jones equaled her single-game career high with 16 points against the University of Dubuque on Nov. 15, before pouring in a new career-high 21 points against Martin Luther a day later. … Schaefer dished out a career-high 12 assists against Concordia last Saturday—it was the highest single-game effort since Jamie Rattunde dished out 12 against Coe on Nov. 26, 2003. … Jones heads into the Cardinals' conference showdown with Bethel on Wednesday averaging a team-best 14.0 ppg. Blattner (13.3 ppg) and Schaefer (10.4 ppg) are also averaging in double figures through seven games. … Blattner owns a team-leading 68 rebounds (9.7 rpg). … Jones equaled her career high with eight rebounds against Concordia last Saturday—the senior also hauled in eight boards against St. Scholastica on Nov. 26. … The Cardinals, who made 163 3-pointers last season, have drained 34 treys in seven games this season—including a 10-for-24 showing against the University of Dubuque on Nov. 15. … Huisman knocked down four treys against Concordia last Saturday and leads the team with 10 3-pointers, four more than Schaefer. … The Cardinals had 10 players score two or more points in their 66-40 win over Viterbo on Nov. 22. … The Cardinals boasted five players who scored in double figures in their season-opening win over the University of Dubuque on Nov. 15—led by Jones with a game-high 16 points. Huisman (13), Blattner (12), Flom (11), and Schaefer (10) were the other four. Saint Mary's also had five players score in double figures once a year ago. … Saint Mary's is averaging 64.7 ppg—including a season-high 76-point effort in its season-opening 76-64 win over the University of Dubuque. … The Cardinals, who have scored 65 or more points in four of their six wins this season, have outscored their first seven opponents 123-97 in the second quarter, 120-94 in the third, and 116-99 in the fourth. The Cardinals have been outscored 104-89 in the game's opening 10 minutes. … With their 76-64 win over the University of Dubuque on Nov. 15, the Cardinals have now won their season-opener in each of the last four seasons—dating back to a 63-58 loss to Elmhurst to kick off the 2011-12 season. … Saint Mary's—picked to finish third in the MIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll—made its fifth straight MIAC Playoff appearance last season—and the Cardinals have reached at least the semifinals each time. … With their 21-6 overall record last season, the Cardinals have now reached the 20-win plateau in three of the last four seasons.
 
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Wednesday's showdown at Saint Mary's is the third of seven straight road games for the Royals, who do not play at home again until Jan. 7, when they entertain Augsburg at Robertson Center. … Bethel's lopsided 88-48 win over Concordia-St. Paul on Monday pushed the Royals' winning streak to five straight. … The Royals have won their last two games by a combined 82 points—beating Hamline 92-49 and Concordia-St. Paul 88-48. … Bethel has scored 80 or more points in five of their six wins—with three of those wins by 40 or more points. … Kalli Zimmerman scored a game-high 16 points, while Abby Miller chipped in 15 and Hannah Johnson added 13 in the Royals' win over Concordia-St. Paul on Monday. … Bethel had 11 different players score at least one point against Concordia-St. Paul Monday. … The Royals head into Wednesday's matchup against Saint Mary's boasting three players—Zimmerman (16.0 ppg), Taite Anderson (11.9 ppg), and Miller (11.4 ppg)—who are averaging in double figures. … Bethel has had four different players lead them in scoring through seven games—led by Zimmerman (three times) and Miller (twice). … Zimmerman owns the Royals' top two individual scoring performances—netting 19 points against Northland on Nov. 15 and a season-high 20 vs. UW-River Falls on Nov. 22. … Shanni Moorse is the team's assist leader with 17, one more than Zimmerman, while Zimmerman tops the squad in both steals (15) and blocked shots (10). … As a team, Bethel is shooting 46 percent from the field (192-for-413) and has knocked down 45 3-pointers—led by Miller with 14 and Jasmin Bretol with 13. … Bethel has dominated the first half through seven games, outscoring its opponents 150-88 in the first quarter and 135-88 in the second. … Bethel has played one overtime game this season, outscoring UW-River Falls 13-9 in the extra session for an 89-85 win on Nov. 22.