ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—Saturday's women's basketball matinee against Augsburg College could have foreseeably been considered a trap game for Bethel University, however, the Royals were able to overcome any temptation of that in their 72-58 win over the Auggies. BU's victory made it 11 straight wins for the Royals and kept their perfect 10-0 record at home still in check. The stage is now set for a 7 p.m. home contest against the unbeaten and No. 2-ranked Tommies this Wednesday evening.
 
Bethel's win was in large part credited to a 42-23 rebounding advantage throughout the 40 minutes of play. BU's dominance inside helped the Royals outscore the Auggies in second-chance points 11-4 and in the paint 32-28.
 
Play between the two opponents was considerably even for a great deal of the afternoon matchup. Bethel took the lead with 7:07 left in the first half and never looked back, but Augsburg was within three points with 6:26 remaining in the game. It was from that point that the Royals went on a 19-6 run over a five-minute stretch, which helped BU closeout the 14-point victory.
 
Bethel was phenomenal from the free throw line, as they made 21-of-24 shots (87.5 percent) attempted from the stripe. The Royals also finished the game 23-of-51 (45.1 percent) from the floor and 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) from outside the 3-point arc.
 
Rachel Parupsky had another outstanding performance, as she finished with a game-high 18 points and 14 rebounds. Sydney Schultz finished 3-of-5 from downtown for 14 points, while Kalli Zimmermann added 12 points, five assists, four rebounds, and three steals. Lindy Parker and Angie Kirchoff collectively poured in 16 points and grabbed seven boards off the bench.
 
Abbey Luger led the Auggies with 17 points and four steals, while Jessica Lillquist added 13 from the post.
 
The clash of the titans is scheduled for Wednesday night in the Robertson Center Gym. Tipoff between St. Thomas and Bethel—the MIAC's top two teams—will commence at 7 p.m. Despite UST securing the No. 1 seed in the conference playoffs BU still has a lot riding on the game, as the Royals look to better their resume for an at-large bid into the NCAA Championships.