By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team is back on the road on Wednesday, as the Cardinals head to Bethel's Robertson Center Gym for their only meeting with the Royals this season. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (8-6 MIAC, 12-9 Overall) at Bethel Royals (9-5 MIAC, 15-6 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—February 2, 2019 * Minneapolis, Minn.: The Cardinals — coming off a red-hot 19-point second quarter that gave them a four-point, 33-29 lead at the half — managed just 14 second-half points, including two in the third quarter, as the Auggies dealt Saint Mary's a 61-47 conference setback at Si Melby Hall | Recap
• Bethel—February 2, 2019 * St. Paul, Minn.: Makenna Pearson scored a career-high 24 points, as the Royals bounced back from a loss to Saint Benedict on Thurdsay with a 85-62 conference win over St. Catherine at Butler Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel — A Year Ago:
• December 9, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: The Royals outscored Saint Mary's 16-9 in the second quarter and 21-18 in the third — and held off a furious fourth-quarter SMU rally — in dealing the Cardinals a 70-67 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• February 3, 2018 * Arden Hills, Minn.: Bethel opened the fourth quarter with five unanswered points and outscored the Cardinals 29-13 in the final 10-minute period in dealing Saint Mary's an 80-62 setback at the Robertson Center Gym | Recap
• February 20, 2018 * Arden Hills, Minn.: Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) scored 27 points and hauled in 11 rebounds for her 12th double-double of the season in leading the fifth-seeded Cardinals to a 58-54 victory over the fourth-seeded Royals during the opening round of the MIAC Tournament at Robertson Center Gym | Recap 
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on the road for a third straight game on Saturday, as Saint Mary's closes out the road portion of its regular-season schedule with a 1 p.m. matchup against Macalester at Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn.
• Bethel: The Royals are back on their home court at Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn., on Saturday, as BU plays host to Concordia in a 1 p.m. conference showdown.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against Bethel is the second of three straight road games for the Cardinals, who are 5-5 away from the Saint Mary's Gym this season. … The Cardinals head into Wednesday's conference showdown against Bethel tied for fifth in the chase for one of the sixth MIAC Playoff berths, two games in front of seventh-place Hamline and St. Catherine with four games to play. St. Thomas (14-0) and Augsburg (12-1), who have already locked up playoff berths, are sitting 1-2, followed by Bethel (9-5), Gustavus (9-5), Saint Mary's (8-6), and Saint Benedict (8-6). … With their 61-47 loss to Augsburg last Saturday, the Cardinals have now lost back-to-back games for just the second time this season. … Despite the back-to-back losses, Saint Mary's is still 5-3 in its last eight games. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) was the lone Cardinal in double figures against Augsburg last Saturday, scoring 13 points. … Blattner has now led and shared the team lead in scoring a team-high seven times. … Blattner is one of six Cardinals to have led the team in scoring this season. … The Cardinals got a pair of double-doubles in their 66-60 win over Saint Benedict on Jan. 23 — Blattner delivered a 22-point, 13-rebound effort, while Abby Winter (Winona, Minn.) chipped in 15 points and a game- and career-high 16 rebounds. … The double, double-double marks the first time since the 2010 season that the Cardinals have had two players with 10 or more points and rebounds in the same game. Jamie Stefely (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Jess Thone (13 points, 10 rebounds) were the last two achieve the feat on Dec. 4, 2010 against Macalester. … Blattner's 22-point performance against Saint Benedict on Jan. 23 marked the fifth time this season the Cardinals have had a player score 20 or more points. Blattner has scored 22 points in a game twice, while Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) has put together games of 20, 20, and 23 points. … Paulson knocked down a single-game career-high seven 3-pointers en route to her season- and career-high 23-point showing against Augsburg on Jan. 5. Paulson's seven 3-pointers were one shy of the school record, set by Ashley Luehmann on Jan. 22, 2005. … Blattner has scored 20 or more points 23 times in her four-year collegiate career — including a career-best 30 points against Augsburg on Jan. 27, 2018. … Blattner leads the team with five double-doubles, giving the senior 35 for her Cardinal career. Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) is second to Blattner with four double-doubles. Winter's 15-point, 16-rebound effort against Saint Benedict on Jan. 23 was her first collegiate double-double, while Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill.) also owns a double-double this season, scoring 19 points and adding 11 rebounds against Carleton on Dec. 1 … Winter's 16 rebounds against Saint Benedict on Jan. 23 were a career-high. Kedl (12) and Robertson (11) have also recorded single-game career-highs of 10 or more rebounds. … Saint Mary's boasts eight players who have recorded a single-game career-high of 10 or more points this season — Paulson (23), Robertson (19), Kedl (16), Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis. / 15), Caily Landers (Palos Heights, Ill. / 12), Isabel Bettag (Maple Park, Ill. / 11), Michele Remer (Grand Forks, N.D. / 11), and Mary Wintroath (Suffern, N.Y. / 10). … Saint Mary's has put four players in double figures in a game four times this year. … Blattner heads into Wednesday's conference showdown against Bethel leading the team in scoring, averaging 14.1 ppg. Paulson is also averaging in double figures (11.8 ppg), followed by Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn. / 6.4 ppg), Kedl (6.4 ppg), and Winter (6.2 ppg). … Kedl is the team's rebounding leader with 127 (5.7 rpg), one more than Blattner (126, 8.4 rpg). … Saint Mary's has three players with 40 or more assists — Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn. / 67), Patterson (56), and Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis. / 51). … Keefe also leads the team in steals with 25. … Saint Mary's is shooting 39.1 percent from the field (489-for-1252), while knocking down 243 of 351 free throws (69.2 percent). … The Cardinals have drained 123 3-pointers, led by Paulson with 55. … The Cardinals recorded a season-high 10 3-pointers against St. Olaf on Jan. 31 — including five from Paulson. Saint Mary's has now hit seven or more 3-pointers in a game seven times this season. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 64.0 ppg, while allowing points at a 63.0 ppg clip. … Saint Mary's hauled in a season-high 56 rebounds against Carleton in the teams' first meeting on Dec. 1. … The Cardinals have scored 70 or more points seven times this season — including two games of 80 or more points. … Saint Mary's season-high 87 points against Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 17 are the most since tossing in 88 in beating Crown 88-34 on Nov. 21, 2015. … Carleton's 48 points on Jan. 9 were the fewest allowed by the Cardinals this season. … Saint Mary's 72-57 win over North Central (Ill.) on Dec. 22 was the final nonconference game of the season for the Cardinals, who went 4-3 against non-MIAC opponents. … The Cardinals picked up their first win under head coach David Foley with their 87-76 triumph over Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 17. … Three of the Cardinals' first four games were against teams they had never faced before — Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 24, and Simpson and Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 16-17. … The Cardinals — picked sixth in the MIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll — made their sixth MIAC Playoff appearance in the last seven years last season.
 
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of three consecutive home games for rthe Royals, who are 6-2 at the Robertson Center Gym this season. … With their 85-62 win over St. Catherine last Saturday, the Royals have now won four of their last five games, scoring 85 or more points in each win — including a pair of 100-plus point efforts in beating Carleton (100-52) and Macalester (104-59). … Bethel's 104 points scored against Macalester on Jan. 26 were a single-game program record, besting the old mark of 101, set against Bethany Lutheran in a 101-53 win on Nov. 2013. … Makenna Pearson scored a career-high 24 points to pace the Royals in their 85-62 win over St. Catherine last Saturday. Pearson was one of three Royals to score in double figures, being joined by Hannah Johnson (16) and Elizabeth Schwarz (16). … Taite Anderson, who scored nine points against St. Catherine last Saturday, eclipsed the 1,000-career point mark in Bethel's 104-59 win over Macalester on Jan. 26. … The Royals head into Wednesday's matchup against Saint Mary's boasting three players — Anderson (16.4 ppg), Johnson (16.2 ppg), and Pearson (12.8 ppg). … Anderson and Johnson have each scored a season-high 27 points in a game this season — Anderson achieving the feat against UM-Morris on Nov. 18, while Johnson did it vs. St. Thomas on Dec. 5. … Johnson has hauled in a team-leading 221 rebounds (10.5 rpg). She is one of three Royals with 100 or more rebounds this season — Anderson (107, 5.1 rpg), and Schwarz (104 (5.0 rpg) are the other two. … Johnson has recorded double-doubles in each of the Royals' last three games — and 12 times this season. … Bethel boasts five players who have amassed 30 or more assists, led by Haylee Barker with 97. … Barker also leads the team in steals with 69, while Johnson has recorded a team-leading 42 blocked shots. … Bethel is shooting 46.9 percent from the field through 21 games (616-for-1313) and has connected on 291 of 450 free throw attempts (64.7 percent). … BU is averaging 77.2 ppg, while the Royals' opponents are averaging 56.4 ppg.