ST. PAUL—Saturday afternoon proved to be an exhilarating one for the Bethel University women's basketball team, as the Royals (8-5, 4-2 MIAC) upended the University of St. Thomas at Schoenecker Arena by a final score of 80-60. BU's win over the No. 9-ranked Tommies (10-3, 4-2 MIAC) snapped a 13-game skid and UST's 17-game home winning streak. The last time Bethel defeated St. Thomas was on January 7, 2009 in St. Paul.
 
The Royals excelled on all phases during the weekend matinee. Bethel shot 50.9 percent from the floor, including a 50.0 percent mark from outside the 3-point arc. Moreover, BU was 19-of-21 from the charity stripe. On the flip side, St. Thomas was held to just 37.9 percent shooting, including a 3-of-16 outcome from downtown.
 
Bethel dominated the paint throughout the 40 minutes of play. The Royals outrebounded the Tommies 39-26, which helped BU outscore UST 44-26 in the paint and 13-8 in second chance points.  Bethel's bench also outscored St. Thomas 31-17.
 
Rachel Parupsky was incredible throughout the conference contest, as the senior post player scored 17 points and ripped down five rebounds. Shanni Moorse recorded 13 points, six boards, and three assists, while Hannah Niewald's balanced stat line featured 11 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
 
Picking up right where she left off Wednesday night, Abby Miller was electric from downtown. Miller went 4-for-4 from outside the arc, resulting in 16 points. In her last seven games, Miller is 12-for-20 (.600) from 3-point land.
 
Bethel will put its three-game win streak to the test next Wednesday when they travel to Minneapolis to face Augsburg College. Tipoff between the Auggies and Royals is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Si Melby Hall.