STARTING FIVE
1) Bethel University women's basketball team looks to bounce back from Wednesday's 69-66 non-conference loss at St. Thomas when they host Saint Mary's Saturday afternoon. The Royals and Cardinals each start the seven-game MIAC portion of their schedule inside the Robertson Center. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. Saturday will be the only meeting between the two squads this season.
2) Elizabeth Schwarz led Bethel with a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double effort Wednesday at St. Thomas. Stepping up late when it was needed, Schwarz scored 11 points in the fourth quarter while eight of her rebounds came in the second half. She even posed a threat behind the arc knocking down her third career 3-pointer. She finished 6-of-14 from the field and was 7-for-9 from the charity stripe.
3) Senior
Bella Williams surpassed the 200 steal mark with a pair of takeaways Wednesday bringing her career total to 201. Williams sits third all-time in program history behind last year's teammate
Haylee Barker ('16-'20) and Beth Johnson ('94-'98). Williams set the single-season record last year with 115 takeaways, an average 4.1 per game.
4) Defense wins championships. Last season BU was third in the nation with 499 steals at 17.8 takeaways per game and forced its opponents to turn it over an average 27.2 times a game. Over the last two seasons, the Royals have totaled 937 steals averaging 17.0 a game. On Wednesday, BU forced the Tommies into 15 turnovers and picked up six steals.
5) Saturday will be the 81st all-time meeting between the two squads. BU is looking to revenge last season's loss to the Cardinals, who went 5-20, in Winona where they were handed their first loss of the season after winning a program-best 20 straight.
» Complete Bethel women's basketball game notes
