By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — It wasn't the beginning—or the end—that proved to be the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team's Achilles' heel Saturday afternoon against Bethel.
 
It was the middle.
 
The Royals outscored Saint Mary's 16-9 in the second quarter and 21-18 in the third and held off a furious fourth-quarter rally in dealing the Cardinals a 70-67 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
Abby Winter (Winona, Minn.) scored a career-high 25 points—becoming the first player other than Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) to eclipse the 20-point barrier this season—and Blattner and Savannah Bleess (Kenyon, Minn.) each chipped in 13 points, but try as they might, the Cardinals could not overcome its middle-quarter letdown.
 
Saint Mary's knocked down the game's first basket, and, after Bethel responded with back-to-back field goals, the Cardinals would not trail again in the game's opening 10 minutes—outscoring Bethel 17-15.
 
Saint Mary's pushed its lead to 18-15 on a free throw by Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.), only to have Bethel respond by rattling off 11 unanswered points for its biggest lead of the half, 26-18, with less than five minutes remaining in the opening half.
 
The Cardinals cut the deficit to three, 26-23, but BU closed out the half scoring five of the final eight points to take a 31-26 lead into the locker room at the break.
 
Saint Mary's scored the first basket of the third quarter, but Bethel tallied the next 13 to push its lead to 16, 44-28, midway through the stanza. The Cardinals returned the favor later in the quarter, scoring the final seven points to whittle the Royal lead to eight, 52-44 heading into the game's final 10-minute period.
 
The Cardinals closed to within four, 52-48, with back-to-back baskets to open the fourth stanza, but an 8-0 Bethel run pushed the Royals' lead back to double figures. Saint Mary's continued to keep the game within reach, trailing by just six, 66-60, with 33 seconds remaining.
 
That, however, would be as close as the Cardinals would get, until Bleess knocked down a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining for the final, 70-67 outcome.
 
Along with her career-high 25 points—including an 11-for-12 effort from the free throw line—Winter also hauled in a team- and game-high nine rebounds, while Blattner chipped in seven boards in the losing effort.
 
Abby Miller scored 19 points to lead a trio of Royals in double figures, with Taite Anderson adding 15 and Angie Kirchoff 10.
 
The Cardinals (1-2 MIAC, 5-4 overall) are back in action on Tuesday, hosting St. Olaf in a 7 p.m. conference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.