By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain Bethel in a 1 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-3 MIAC, 1-5 Overall) vs. Bethel Royals (1-2 MIAC, 5-2 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—December 6, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) scored a team-high 10 points, but the Cardinals could not shake off a cold shooting night, as Carleton dealt Saint Mary's a 78-38 MIAC setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Bethel—December 6, 2017 * Arden Hills, Minn.: Granger Kingland scored 27 points and added 16 rebounds to lead the Royals to a 73-58 conference win over St. Thomas at Robertson Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel—A Year Ago:
• December 7, 2016 * Arden Hills, Minn.: For the second time this season, Saint Mary's eclipsed the 80-point barrier—erupting for 82 points in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest against Bethel. Unlike their season-opening, 84-50 rout of Martin Luther, however, surpassing the 80-point mark was not enough to earn the Cardinals a victory against the high-powered Royals. Bethel erupted for 53 first-half points—and its offense never cooled off—as the Royals dealt the Cardinals a 99-82 setback at Robertson Center Gym | Recap
• February 8, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: When Saint Mary's and Bethel squared off in their first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meeting in early December, the Royals erupted for 53 first-half points in handing the Cardinals a 99-82 setback. And when the Cardinals took the court for the teams' rematch, they were determined to write a different ending. Bethel, however, seemed content to have the sequel be a mirror image of the first meeting, as the Royals again scored 53 first-half points and kept its offense shifted into overdrive—shooting 71 percent from the field in the second half—in dealing the Cardinals a 101-69 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in action on Wednesday, as Saint Mary's travels to St. Olaf's Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference matchup with the Oles.
• Bethel: The Royals are now off until Saturday, when they head to Concordia's Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference game against the Cobbers.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• After five straight road games—including an exhibition contest against NCAA Division II Winona State—Saturday's game against Bethel is the second straight home games for the Cardinals, who have collected five of their last seven wins on their home court. … Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) scored a team-high 10 points in the Cardinals' conference loss to Carleton Wednesday. … David Lindstrand (Lakeville, Minn.) scored a career-high 15 points to lead the Cardinals' offense in last Saturday's 93-74 loss to Augsburg. … Jakob Bailey (Cameron, Wis.) also scored in double figures against the Auggies last Saturday, equaling his career high with 11 points. … Anthony-Bello has now led the team in scoring a team-high three times, while Lindstrand and James Cullen (Western Springs, Ill.) have led or shared the team lead in scoring twice. … Saint Mary's has had seven players record single-game career highs of 10 or more points this season—Cullen (24), Anthony-Bello (16), Lindstrand (15), Nate Urell (Fountain City, Wis. / 14), Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis. / 12), Bailey (11), and Kristjan Meitz (Waukesha, Wis. / 10). … The Cardinals put a season-high five players in double figures in their 86-76 loss to Concordia-Chicago on Nov. 25. … Along with his 14 points against Concordia-Chicago on Nov. 25, Anthony-Bello also hauled in a career-best 11 rebounds en route to his first collegiate double-double—and the Cardinals' first double-double of the season. … Saint Mary's enters Saturday's conference showdown against Bethel boasting a pair of players—Cullen (10.7 ppg) and Anthony-Bello (10.2 ppg)—averaging in double figures. … Anthony-Bello is the team's rebounding leader with 33 (5.5 rpg). … Lindstrand boasts a team-high 12 assists, while Anthony-Bello owns a team-high 10 steals, two more than Lindstrand. … The Cardinals have drained 39 3-pointers through six games—including a season-high 10 against Gustavus on Nov. 29. … Cullen leads the team with 11 3-pointers. … With their 89-75 win over Martin Luther on Nov. 15, the Cardinals have now opened their season with a win in each of their last four seasons—including back-to-back years with season-opening victories over the Knights. … The Cardinals' 89 points vs. Martin Luther on Nov. 15 marked their highest offensive performance of the season, and the most points scored since erupting for 106 points in a 111-106 loss to Augsburg on Jan. 11. The 106 points were just four shy of the school-record 110 points, set against UM-Duluth during the 1952-53 season. … The Cardinals scored 80 or more points four times last season.
 
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against St. Thomas was just the second home game of the season for the Royals, who play eight of their first 10 games away from Robertson Center. … Wednesday's win over St. Thomas snapped the Royals' two-game losing streak. BU had opened the season with four straight wins, before falling to Augsburg (87-64) and Saint John's (79-63). … Bethel's 73-58 win over St. Thomas Wednesday was the Royals' first home win over the Tommies since Feb. 21, 2005. … Granger Kingland posted career-highs of 27 points and 16 rebounds in leading the Royals' to their 73-58 win over St. Thomas Wednesday. Matt Armbriz also scored in double figures vs. the Tommies, finishing with 11 points. … Kingland's 27-point effort against the Tommies was the Royals' top single-game performance of the season. … The Royals head into Saturday's matchup at Saint Mary's boasting four players averaging in double figures—Kingland (18.1 ppg), Derek Magnuson (11.7 ppg), Ambriz (11.6 ppg), and Bridgeport Tusler (10.0 ppg). … Kingland and Magnuson are the team's rebounding leaders with 51 (7.3 rpg) and 49 (7.0 rpg), respectively. … The Royals have four players with 10 or more assists, led by Tusler (29) and Jack Jenson (16). The duo also lead the team in steals with 13 and 10, respectively. … Bethel is shooting 47 percent from the field (197-for-417) and have drained 55 3-pointers this season. … Kingland owns a team-best 21 3-pointers, with Ambriz (13) and Riley Dearing (12) close behind. … Bethel, which is averaging 77.3 ppg, has scored 80 or more points three times through seven games, including a season-high 89 points in an 89-72 win over Carroll on Nov. 18.