ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s basketball team is on the road Saturday afternoon for a 3 p.m. matchup at Bethel. The No. 20 Gusties enter the conference game 12-2 overall and 6-1 in the MIAC, while the Royals are 9-4 overall and 4-2 in the league.
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The Series: Saturday’s game marks the 66th meeting between Gustavus and Bethel with the Gusties holding a 40-25 advantage in the all-time series. The Gusties have won the last four meetings, most recently defeating the Royals 72-67 in the MIAC semifinals last season. Miranda Rice posted her first double-double of the season (21 points, 12 rebounds) while Gustavus went 17-for-21 from the charity stripe, moving on to the MIAC Playoff Championship. Three other Gustavus starters also notched double-digits in the scoring column. Justine Lee notched 16 points and Mikayla Miller added 15 as they both were perfect from the free throw line, Lee going 7-for-7 and Miller 9-for-9. In addition, Hannah Howard tallied her third-straight double-digit scoring performance with 14 points.
Scouting the Royals: Bethel is currently on a six-game win streak and has not lost since Dec. 6 against league-leading St. Thomas. The Royals most recently defeated Augsburg 96-64 on Wednesday. After 13 games this season, Taite Anderson and Abby Miller lead the offense with 14.3 points per game each. Hannah Johnson is next with 13.5 points per game and averages a double-double with 10.1 rebounds per game. As a team, the Royals average 71.3 points and shoots 43.6 percent from the field.