By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team gave unbeaten and nationally ranked Bethel all it could handle Saturday afternoon.
 
For three quarters.
 
Unfortunately, the other quarter — the third — proved to be the Cardinals' undoing.
 
Saint Mary's managed just six points in the third quarter, as the 25th-ranked Royals outscored the Cardinals 21-6 — transforming a six-point nailbiter into a 21-point BU advantage — and held off a late rally to deal SMU a 78-62 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Robertson Center Gym.
 
Bethel took advantage of a 7-0 run to build a seven-point, 11-4 lead early in the first quarter and continued to pad that cushion to as many as 10, 21-11, before Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) hit a layup in the waning seconds to pull Saint Mary's within eight, 21-13, after one quarter.
 
It was a balanced offensive attack for Saint Mary's in the game's opening 10 minutes, as Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) led the way with three — drilling a 3-pointer with 1:16 to play — while five other Cardinals boasted two points.
 
The Royals pushed the advantage to 12, 31-19 early in the second quarter, but Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) took over the offensive reigns for the Cardinals, dropping a pair of threes and adding a three-point play en route to an 11-point second-quarter individual effort in helping Saint Mary's cut the deficit to six, 40-34 at the halftime break.
 
And then came the third quarter.
 
Bethel held Vesel off the scoreboard — and limited Saint Mary's to field goals by Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.), Ashley Streveler (Colby, Wis.), and Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill.) — in taking control 61-40 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Cardinals outscored the Royals 22-17 over the game's final 10 minutes, but could not claw  their way closer than 15.
 
Vesel led the way for the Cardinals, finishing with 23 points, while Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) added 10, and Schmeling and Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) each chipped in seven. Saint Mary's finished 21-for-46 from the field (45.7 percent) with seven 3-pointers and went 13-for-15 from the free throw line.
 
Taite Anderson scored a game-high 25 points to lead three players in double figures for the Royals, who shot 49.2 percent friom the field (31-for-63 with eight 3-pointers, and were 9 of 15 from the free throw line.
 
The Cardinals (1-4 MIAC, 1-9 overall) are back on the road on Wednesday, heading to Gustavus' Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference matchup against the Gusties. The Royals (6-0 MIAC, 11-0 overall) hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to Augsburg's Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown with the Auggies.