SAINT PETER, Minn. – The No. 17 Gustavus women’s basketball team will travel to No. 23 Bethel on Saturday for a 3 p.m. showdown. The Gusties enter 11-1 overall and 7-0 in the MIAC while the Royals are 12-0 overall and 7-0 in the league.
The Series: Saturday’s contest marks the 69th all-time meeting between the Gusties and Royals with Gustavus currently holding a 41-27 edge. The two teams met last season on Feb. 13 in Arden Hills with the Royals taking a 68-48 victory.
Scouting the Gusties: Gustavus comes into the contest most recently defeating Saint Mary’s 82-65 on Wednesday. Paige Richert has been strong for the Gusties of late, posting consecutive double-doubles, including a career-high 23 points to go along with 10 rebounds against Saint Mary’s. Caitlin Rorman has been the top scorer for the Gusties through 12 games, averaging 15.6 points per game to go along with a team best 6.8 rebounds, while Ava Gonsorowski posts 14.1 points and a team-high 3.5 assists. Gustavus ranks second in the MIAC thus far in both scoring offense and defense, averaging 74.6 points and allowing 54.6.
Scouting the Royals: Bethel is coming off a 74-70 statement win over No. 11 Augsburg on Wednesday. Taite Anderson, who is coming off her second D3hoops.com Team of the Week honor of the year, leads the Royals and MIAC in scoring with 20.0 points per game, while also adding a team-best 6.7 rebounds. Makenna Pearson is the only other Royal averaging double figures, as she averages 12.1 points, and makes 43.5 percent of attempts from beyond the arc. Bethel has been strong on both ends of the floor through 12 games, leading the MIAC in scoring offense and defense with marks of 75.8 and 54.1, respectively.