WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball returns to its home court on Wednesday, as the Cardinals host Saint Benedict in a 7 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-3 MIAC | 9-4 Overall) vs. Saint Benedict Blazers (4-2 MIAC | 7-6 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals boasted three players in double figures—including a team-best 18 points from Molly O'Toole (Plymouth, Minn.)—in a 74-67 conference win over Gustavus last Saturday at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Saint Benedict: Saint Benedict used a balanced offensive performance and solid defensive play to beat Carleton 58-49 at Claire Lynch Hall in St. Joseph, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Saint Benedict—A Year Ago:
• December 7, 2013: The Cardinals appeared to have things comfortably in control, outscoring the Blazers 36-19 in the game's opening 20 minutes. But the Blazers turned the tables after the halftime intermission, erupting for 45 second-half points. Fortunately for the Cardinals, 45 points was not enough, as SMU used a half-ending 5-1 run to seal a 67-64 victory at the SMU Gym | Recap
• January 25, 2014: Thanks to a balanced offensive attack that saw five Saint Mary's players score in double figures—led by Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) with 18 —the Cardinals broke away from a five-point halftime advantage by outscoring the Blazers 48-41 over the final 20 minutes, as Saint Mary's won its 12th straight with an 85-73 conference victory at Claire Lynch Hall in St. Joseph, Minn. | Recap
 
Up Next:
•  Saint Mary's: The Cardinals hit the road on Saturday, traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for a 1 p.m. conference game against Macalester.
• Saint Benedict: The Blazers return home to Claire Lynch Hall in St. Joseph, Minn., on Saturday, hosting Gustavus in a 3 p.m. MIAC contest.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
The Cardinals enter Wednesday's game against Saint Benedict riding a six-game winning streak against the Blazers. … Wednesday's game against St. Olaf was the third straight road games for the Cardinals. … Wednesday's game against Saint Benedict is the second of back-to-back home games for the Cardinals—who are 28-3 at home over the past three seasons. … The Cardinals' 74-67 win over Gustavus snapped their season-high four-game losing streak. … Molly O'Toole (Plymouth, Minn.) netted a team-high 18 points against the Gusties last Saturday, while Emma Schaefer (Falcon Heights, Minn.) chipped in a career-high 15 points and Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) added 14—one shy of her collegiate best. … With her 18 points against Gustavus, O'Toole—who scored a career-high 23 points in Saint Mary's win over Hamline on Dec. 3—has scored 10 or more points in nine of the team's 13 games this season. … O'Toole and Shelby Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn.) have each eclipsed the 20-point barrier twice this season—O'Toole scoring 23 vs. Hamline on Dec. 3 and 21 points vs. UW-Stout on Nov. 21, and Auseth adding 24 points against UM-Morris on Nov. 16 and 22 points against St. Olaf on Jan. 7. … Auseth—who has led the team in scoring in two of the team's last three games—was a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line en route to her 22-point effort vs. the Oles last Wednesday. … As a team, the Cardinals drained 22 of their 23 attempts from the charity stripe against St. Olaf. … Meredith netted a career-best 15 points against North Park on Dec. 30, knocking down 5 of 6 3-pointers—including four in the second half. … Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) recorded her first collegiate double-double against Hamline on Dec. 3, scoring 15 points and adding a career-best 11 rebounds. The junior guard also dished out a career high eight assists. … Pethke's 11-rebound performance vs. Hamline was the second time this season a Cardinal player has recorded 10 or more rebounds in a game—Kayla Lardy (Fairmont, Minn.) hauled in a career-best 10 boards against Crown on Nov. 22. … The Cardinals have boasted four players in double figures in a game three times this season. … The Cardinals have five players who have recorded single-game career-highs of 10 points or more this season—O'Toole (23), Meredith (15), Schaefer (15), Natalie Larson (North Branch, Minn. / 14), and Sam Jones (White Bear Lake, Minn. / 12). … O'Toole and Auseth head into Wednesday's conference showdown with Saint Benedict averaging in double figures at 12.7 ppg and 12.3 ppg, respectively. … Pethke owns the team lead in rebounds (67, 5.6 rpg)—one more than O'Toole and two in front of Auseth—while also boasting a team-high 59 assists. … Pethke finished with a single-season career-high 128 assists last season, which ranks No. 3 all-time. … Saint Mary's knocked down a season-high 12 3-pointers against North Park on Dec. 30. The Cardinals' 12 treys are the most since draining 12 3s against Carleton on Jan. 4, 2010. … As a team, the Cardinals have made 85 3-pointers this season, and have five players with 10 or more treys through 13 games—Schaefer (21), Auseth (14), Sara Schoenthaler (White Bear Lake, Minn. / 13), Pethke (10), and Meredith (10). … The Cardinals have outscored their first 13 opponents 427-330 in the game's opening 20 minutes. … The Cardinals have held eight of their 13 opponents to less than 30 first-half points. … Saint Mary's—which scored a season-high 80 points against Hamline on Dec. 3—is averaging 65.5 ppg, while the Cardinals' opponents are scoring at a 58.6 ppg clip. … The Cardinals' 51-47 loss to Bethel on Dec. 8 snapped their season-opening eight-game winning streak—their longest such streak since opening the 1985-86 season by rattling off 19 straight wins. … Saint Mary's loss to Bethel on Dec. 8 marked the second straight season the Royals have handed the Cardinals their first conference loss of the season—BU won 78-69 in the teams' first meeting a year ago. … The Cardinals' 51-47 loss to Bethel snapped their 17-game regular-season home winning streak—dating back to a 64-54 loss to Concordia on Feb. 3, 2013. … The Cardinals made their first NCAA national tournament appearance since the 1985-86 season a year ago, falling to UW-Oshkosh 71-61 in the regional semifinal.
 
Scouting The Saint Benedict Blazers:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
With their 58-49 win over Carleton on Saturday, the Blazers pushed their winning streak to three straight. … Niki Fokken scored a team-high 13 points against the Knights Saturday, knocking down 6 of 13 field goals and going 1-for-2 from the free throw line. … Fokken also led the Blazers with seven rebounds vs. Carleton. … With Fokken's 13 points Saturday, the Blazers have now had a different leader in scoring in each of their last four games. … CSB enters Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's boasting a pair of players averaging in double figures—Mattie Lueck (13.0 ppg) and Abby Miller (10.0 ppg). … Lueck, who has scored 20 or more points twice—22 vs. Concordia and 21 vs. St. Catherine—owns a team-high three double-doubles this season. … Lueck has hauled in a team-leading 88 rebounds through 12 games (7.3 rpg), while also leading the team in assists (32) and steals (18). … The Blazers have knocked down 62 3-pointers this season, led by Miller (23), Annie Dittberner (17), and Emily Lueck (12). … Saint Benedict is averaging 61.1 ppg—including a game-high 85-point performance in an 85-68 win over Hamline on Jan. 7. … CSB's six losses have come via three, two-game losing streaks.