By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team is back on its home court for a second straight game on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain fifth-ranked Bethel in a 1 p.m. conference contest at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-13 MIAC, 2-18 Overall) vs. #5 Bethel (15-0 MIAC, 20-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's­­ — February 5, 2020 * Saint Mary's Gym * Winona, Minn.: Augsburg outscored the Cardinals 19-2 in the fourth quarter, as the Auggies rallied to hand Saint Mary's a 71-59 conference setback | Recap
• Bethel — February 5, 2020 * Robertson Center Gym * Arden Hills, Minn.: The Royals forced Concordia into 30 turnovers and cruised to their 20th win of the season, routing Concordia 82-57 | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel — Earlier This Year:
• January 4, 2020 * Robertson Center Gym * Arden Hills, Minn.: 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 setback | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel — A Year Ago:
• February 6, 2019 * Robertson Center Gym * Arden Hills, Minn.: Bethel outscored Saint Mary's in all four quarters — including 20-15 in the second and 20-13 in the third — as the Royals slowly pulled away in handing the Cardinals an 86-68 conference setback | Recap
• February 16, 2019 * Robertson Center Gym * Arden Hills, Minn.: Bethel erupted for 25 points in the game's final 10 minutes, as the Royals dealt the Cardinals a season-ending 66-52 setback in an MIAC Tournament quarterfinal | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to Carleton's West Gym in Northfield, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference tilt against the Knights.
• Bethel: The Royals.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Saturday's game against Bethel is the second of back-to-back home games for the Cardinals, who play three of their final five games on their home court. … The Cardinals' game against fifth-ranked Bethel marks the seventh game this season against teams ranked nationally — having faced No. 7 Wartburg, No. 8 UW-Oshkosh, No. 17 UW-Whitewater, No. 17 Gustavus, No. 22 St. Thomas, and then-No. 25 Bethel in their first meeting. … Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) scored a team-high 20 points and Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) added 15 in the Cardinals' 71-59 loss to Augsburg last Wednesday. … Vesel has now scored 20 or more points in a game twice in the Cardinals' last three games, and five times this season. … The Cardinals have now had a player score 20 or more points in three of their last four games — Vesel has accounted for two of the three (20 vs. Augsburg last Wednesday and 26 vs. Macalester on Jan. 29) and Paulson owns the other (27 vs. St. Olaf on Jan. 25). … Vesel's 26-point effort against Macalester on Jan. 29 was two points shy of her career-high 28-point showing against Concordia in their first meeting on Dec. 7. … Vesel's 28-point effort against Concordia on Dec. 7 was the highest individual single-game total since Alexa Huisman poured in 32 against Hamline on Jan. 20, 2018. … Paulson's 27 points against St. Olaf on Jan. 25 marked the second time this season the sophomore has recorded a career-high in scoring. She netted a then-career-best 26 points against Hamline on Jan. 11. … Paulson has scored 10 or more points 27 times in her first two years as a Cardinal — including seven games of 20 or more points. … Paulson's 27-point effort against St. Olaf on Jan. 25 marked the second straight game in which the Cardinals' leading scorer finished with a career-high in points — Ashley Streveler (Colby, Wis.) scored a career-high 11 points to lead the Cardinals in their 55-53 loss to St. Catherine on Jan. 20. … With her 11-point effort against St. Catherine on Jan. 20, Streveler became the fifth different player to lead the Cardinals in scoring this season, joining Vesel, Paulson, Ewelina Schlomann (New Berlin, Wis.), and Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.). … The Cardinals boast four players who have scored a single-game career-high of 10 or more points this season — Vesel (28 v. Concordia on Dec. 7), Paulson (27 v. St. Olaf on Jan. 25), Ewelina Schlomann (New Berlin, Wis. / 15 v. Macalester on Dec. 11), and Streveler (11 v. St. Catherine on Jan. 22). … Paulson netted 26 points and Vesel added 23 in the Cardinals' 82-80 overtime loss to Hamline on Jan. 11, marking the second time this season the Cardinal duo has each scored 20 or more points in the same game — Vesel tallied 25 and Paulson added 23 against UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 30. … The Cardinals put a season-high four players in double figures against St. Catherine in the teams' first meeting on Dec. 4 — Vesel (18), Paulson (18), Schlomann (15), and Patterson (12). … 
 
 
Vesel heads into Saturday's conference game against Bethel averaging a team-leading 16.0 ppg, while Paulson (13.0 ppg) is also averaging in double figures. … Vesel also holds the team lead in rebounds with 81 (4.4 rpg). … Patterson and Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) share the team lead with 46 assists, while Vesel boasts a team-high 39 steals. … Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) owns a team-high six blocked shots, followed by Vesel with five. … Paulson — who knocked down a single-game career-high seven 3-pointers against Augsburg in the teams' first meeting on Jan. 5, 2019 — leads the team with 44 treys, followed by Vesel with 24. … The Cardinals are shooting 35.8 percent from the field (429-for-1199) — including 123-for-432 from behind the 3-point line — and are 247-for-368 from the free throw line. … The Cardinals have netted a season-high 10 3-pointers four this season — vs. Augsburg on Feb. 5, vs. St. Olaf on Jan. 25, vs. Concordia on Dec. 7, and against UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 30. … With their 20-point, 77-57 win over Macalester on Jan. 29, the Cardinals put an end to their 11-game losing streak, dating back to a 70-68 overtime win over the Scots on Dec. 11. … Saint Mary's set a season-high for free throws made (23) against St. Olaf on Jan. 25. … Saint Mary's 82-80 loss to Hamline on Jan. 11 was the Cardinals' third overtime game of the season. The three overtime games are the most since Saint Mary's went into OT three times during the 1997-98 campaign. … All three of Saint Mary's OT games have been decided by two points — the Cardinals beat Macalester 70-68 in OT on Dec. 11, while falling to St. Catherine 79-77 in double overtime on Dec. 4, and losing to Hamline 82-80 last Saturday. … The Cardinals' 79-77 loss to St. Catherine on Dec. 4 was its first double-overtime game since beating Bethel 73-69 on Jan. 24, 2009. … The Cardinals' 80-point effort in their 82-80 loss to Hamline on Jan. 11 was a season-high. … Saint Mary's, which is averaging 61.5 ppg, has scored 70 or more points seven times this season. … 
 
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Saturday's game at Saint Mary's is the first of three straight road games for the Royals, who own an 11-0 record on the road this season, while going a perfect 9-0 on their home court at Robertson Center Gym. … Bethel enters Saturday's matchup with the Cardinals ranked No. 5 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25. … The Royals' 82-42 win over Concordia on Wednesday pushed their winning streak to 20. … Taite Anderson scored 20 points and added 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. … Elizabeth Schwarz chipped in 17 points and Haylee Barker added 11 against the Cobbers. … Anderson's 20-point effort against Concordia moved her into second on the Royals' all-time career scoring list with 1,541 points. … Bethel heads into Saturday's game against Saint Mary's boasting three players who are averaging in double figures in scoring — Anderson 20.9 ppg, Makenna Pearson (10.5 ppg), and Schwarz (10.2 ppg). … Anderson also leads the team in rebounds with 138, while Schwarz has also eclipsed the 100-rebound mark, boasting 104 through 20 games. … Bethel has a pair of players — Barker (82) and Bella Williams (61) — with 60 of more assists, while Williams has delivered a team-best 81 steals, one more than Barker. … The Royals have knocked down 135 3-pointers this season, le by Pearson with 42 and Kat Brown-Erdal with 23. … As a team, the Royals are shooting 47.6 percent from the field (564-for-1186) — including 135 3-pointers in 363 tries — and have hit on 256 of 391 free throws. … Bethel is averaging 76.6 ppg, while limiting its opponents to just 53.3 ppg. … The Royals forced Concordia into 30 turnovers on Wednesday — marking the sixth time this season Bethel has recorded 30 or more turnovers in a game. … Bethel has scored 70 or more points in 12 of its 20 games — including six games of 80 or more points. … The Royals, who have scored 82 points in each of their last two games — wins over Macalester and Concordia — has netted a season-high 85 points twice, beating UW-River Falls 85-52 on Nov. 20 and dropping Macalester 85-45 on Dec. 7.