SAINT MARY'S CARDINALS 

(5-11 MIAC, 6-13 OVERALL)

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BETHEL ROYALS

(11-5 MIAC, 12-7 OVERALL)

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EARLIER THIS YEAR:

Dec. 11, 2021

L, 65-51 * Series History

SAINT MARY'S LAST ACTION:

Feb. 2, 2022 * Gustavus * W, 67-64

BETHEL LAST ACTION:

Feb. 2, 2022 * St. Ben’s * W, 78-59

SAINT MARY'S UP NEXT:

Feb. 7, 2022 * St. Olaf 

Northfield, MN * 7:00

BETHEL UP NEXT: 

Feb. 7, 2022 * Concordia

Moorhead, MN * 7:00

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their Saturday conference matchup against Bethel sitting at 5-13 on the season, while sporting a 4-11 mark in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) scored a career-high 32 points —including her 1,000th career point — in leading the Cardinals to a 67-64 win over Gustavus Wednesday at the Saint Mary’s Gym.

• HOME COOKING: Wednesday’s game against Gustavus was the seventh home game in the last nine contests for the Cardinals, who play their next three games — and five of their final six regular-season contests — on the road. SMU heads into Saturday’ contest against Bethel with a 3-5 record on the road, while owning three wins in 11 home contests this season.

• STREAKING: The Cardinals, who snapped their season-high six-game losing streak with last Saturday’s 72-68 win over St. Scholastica, will face Bethel riding a two-game winning streak — their first since beating Martin Luther and Macalester on Nov. 15 and Nov. 20.

• NIGHT TO REMEMBER: Paulson enjoyed a night to remember against Gustavus Wednesday. The senior scored a career-high 32 points — the most by a Cardinal since Alexa Huisman netted 32 against Hamline on Jan. 20, 2018 — and became just the second player in program history to net eight 3-pointers in a game, joining Ashley Luehmann, who achieved the feat in against St. Catherine on Jan. 22, 2005.

• JOINING THE CLUB: With her sixth point against Gustavus on Wednesday, Paulson became the 12th playing in program history to score 1,000 career points — and the first since Brandi Blattner ’19 joined the 1,000=point Club. … Paulson enters Saturday’s matchup against Bethel with 1,026 career points. She is 28 points back of Jessica Weisbrod ’08 for No. 11, and 40 behind Amy Burns ’13 for No. 10.

• LEADING THE CHARGE: Paulson (enters Saturday’s showdown with Bethel leading the team — and the conference — in scoring with an 18.2 ppg average. Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) is sitting second on the team with an 8.8 ppg average, followed by Izzy Goettelman (Winona, Minn. / 8.3 ppg) and Ashley Streveler (Colby, Wis. / 7.3 ppg). … Paulson — who has scored 10 or more points in 18 of SMU’s 19 games this season, including the last 17 in a row — has led or shared the team lead in scoring in 16 of the Cardinals’ 19 games.

• CRACKING 20: Paulson’s career-high 32-point effort against Gustavus on Wednesday marked the sixth time this season she has eclipsed the 20-point barrier, having also netted 22 points against Macalester on Nov. 20, and 24 points three times — vs. Concordia on Jan. 15, against St. Olaf on Dec. 8 and vs. Hamline on Nov. 23. … Goettelman is the only other Cardinal with a 20+ point game this season, netting a career-best 22 against St. Scholastica last Saturday.

• DOUBLING UP: Paulson has recorded three double-doubles this season — and four in her collegiate career — while Biermeier picked up her first collegiate double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds against St. Scholastica last Saturday.

• CAREER SCORING HIGHS: Saint Mary’s has had six players record career-highs of 10 or more points in a game this season — Paulson (32), Goettelman (22), Biermeier (19), Streveler (18), Valerie Higgins (Sioux Falls, S.D. / 13), Alyssa Coleman (Matteson, Ill. / 12), and Macey Petron (Royalton, Minn. / 11).

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Along with her team-leading 18.2 ppg scoring average, Paulson is also the team’s leader in rebounds with 128 (6.7 rpg), followed by Biermeier with 105 (5.5 rpg).

• BIG BOARD NIGHTS: Paulson had a career night against Hamline on Nov. 23, finishing with 12 rebounds, while Goettelman hauled in a career-best 10 boards against Augsburg on Jan. 10 — missing out on her first collegiate double-double by one point. … Paulson’s career-high 12-rebound showing against Hamline on Nov. 23 were the most in a game since Rachel Kedl recorded 16 boards against Hamline on Jan. 11, 2020. … Biermeier’s 11-rebound effort against St. Scholastica last Saturday equaled her four-year career high.

• FROM DOWNTOWN: The Cardinals rained in a season-high 12 3-pointers in their 85-58 win over Carleton on Jan. 8. It was the most 3-pointers in a game since netting 12 against Hamline on Jan. 11, 2020, and the third time this season SMU has hit 10 or more treys in a game. … Paulson — who accounted for eight of the team’s nine 3-pointers against Gustavus last Wednesday — leads the team with 44 3-pointers, while Streveler is second with 30. Streveler hit five 3-pointers en route to her 15 points against Carleton on Jan. 8.

• FREE POINTS: Biermeier knocked down a season- and career-high 10 free throws on 12 attempts against Martin Luther on Nov. 15, while Goettelman went 10-for-13 from the line against St. Scholastica last Saturday.  The 10 made free throws were the most by a Cardinal since Shayley Vesel went 10-for-13 from the charity stripe against Augsburg on Feb. 5, 2020. … Saint Mary’s 28 made free throws against Martin Luther on Nov. 15 were the most since netting 32 against Bethel on Feb. 27, 2014, while the Cardinals’ 35 free throws attempted were the most since attempting 35 vs. Macalester on Feb. 10, 2018.

• THREE’S COMPANY: Paulson, Goettelman, and Streveler accounted for 38 of the Cardinals’ 51 points in the Cardinals’ 65-51 loss to Bethel on Dec. 11 — including all 27 SMU points in the first half.

• AS A TEAM: The Cardinals are shooting 33.8 percent from the field (377-for-1114), with 126 3-pointers, and are 269 of 368 (73.1 percent) from the free throw line. … SMU is averaging 60.5 ppg, while the Cardinals’ opponents are scoring at a 67.1 ppg clip. … Saint Mary’s finished with a season-high 71 field goal attempts in its 72-63 loss to St. Olaf on Dec. 8.

• BEST 10 MINUTES: The Cardinals’ 34-point second quarter against Carleton on Jan. 8 was its highest single-quarter performance since the NCAA went back to the quarter system prior to the 2015-16 season.

• RAINING IN POINTS: The Cardinals’ 85-point effort in their 85-58 win over Carleton on Jan. 8 were a season-high, and marked the second time this season SMU has netted 80 or more points in a game — having also tallied 80 in beating Martin Luther 80-74 on Nov. 15. … SMU’s 85 points are the most in a game since scoring 85 points an 87-85 overtime loss to Hamline on Jan. 11, 2020.

• WORKING OVERTIME: Saint Mary’s 75-71 loss to Hamline in the teams’ first meeting on Nov. 23 was its first overtime game of the season. The Cardinals played a single-season, program-record four overtime games during the 2019-20 season, including three that were decided by two points.

• FOR THE RECORD: The Royals take to the court against Saint Mary’s on Saturday sitting at 11-5 in conference play and boasting a 12-7 overall record.

• LAST TIME OUT: Hayden Glander scored a career-high 27 points and added 10 rebounds in leading the Royals to a convincing 78-59 win over Saint Benedict Wednesday in Arden Hills, Minn.

• ON A ROLL: Bethel’s 19-point win over Saint Benedict Wednesday was its second straight and 11th in its last 13 games. The Royals had their season-high seven-game winning streak snapped by Hamline on Jan. 19, and since have won three of four — the lone loss a 67-57 setback at the hands of league-leading Augsburg on Jan. 26.

• CAREER NIGHT: Hayden Glander and Bella Williams enjoyed career nights against Saint Benedict on Wednesday. Glander netted a career-best 27 points, while Williams matched her career-best with nine rebounds.

• LEADING THE CHARGE: Bethel heads into Saturday’s matchup against Saint Mary’s boasting three players who are averaging in double figures in scoring — Makenna Pearson (13.1 ppg), Glander (12.6 ppg), and Courtney Nuest (11.4 ppg). … Blander has scored 10 or more points a team-leading 14 times — including netting 20 or more points on four occasions — while Pearson has scored in double figures 13 times with a pair of 20+ point showings.

• WIPING THE GLASS: Glander is the Royals’ rebounding leader with 101 (5.3 rpg), five more than Nuest (5.1 rpg), with Anna Garfield sitting third with 85 boards (5.0 rpg). … Glander has recorded three double-doubles this season — including Wednesday’s 27-point, 10-rebound effort against Saint Benedict.

• FROM DOWNTOWN: The Royals have knocked down 95 3-pointers through 19 games, led by Pearson with 39, followed by Glander with 15 and Nuest with 11. Bethel has gotten at least one 3-pointer from 12 different players.

• LENDING A HAND: Williams has been an assist machine for the Royals this season, racking up 95 helpers in the 17 games she’s played. Williams’ 95 assists are tops in the MIAC, leaving her 34 helpers in front of No. 2 Jill Yanai of Carleton.

• BLOCK PARTY: The Royals have four players with 10 or more blocks this season, led by Pearson and Garfield with 18 each, followed by Glander with 17 and Lydia Hagstrom with 12. BU’s 95 blocks are tops in the conference.

• AS A TEAM: The Royals are shooting 44.0 percent from the field (497-for-1130) with 95 3-pointers and are 224-for-338 (66.3 percent) from the free throw line. BU is averaging 69.1 ppg, while holding its opponents to just 55.1 ppg. … The Royals have scored 80 or more points three times this season — including a season-high 102-point showing in routing St. Olaf 102-47 on Jan. 8