WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team hits the court on Saturday, heading across town to Winona State for a 7 p.m. exhibition game against the NCAA Division II Warriors.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0 Overall) at Winona State Warriors (3-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | Video Preview
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: Saturday's exhibition is the first game of the season for the Cardinals—and the first under first-year head coach Brent Pollari
• Winona State: The Warriors dropped a 96-66 exhibition loss to NCAA Division I Nebraska last Sunday in Lincoln, Neb. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Winona State—Their Last Meeting:
• November 10, 2013 * Winona, Minn.: Darcy Rice scored 13 points and Courtney Euerle added 10, but it was not enough, as Winona State handed Saint Mary's a 62-51 exhibition setback at McCown Gymnasium | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals will officially kick off their 2015-16 season on Nov. 21, heading to St. Joseph, Minn., for a 3 p.m. nonconference contest against Crown. Saint Mary's will then square off against Saint Benedict in a 3 p.m. nonconference matchup a day later, also in St. Joseph, Minn.
• Winona State: The Warriors return to the court on Wednesday, hosting UW-Eau Claire in a 7 p.m. nonconference game at McCown Gym in Winona, Minn.
 
New This Season:
To increase the flow of the game, women's games will no longer be played in halves, but will consist of four, 10-minute quarters with a 15-minute halftime intermission. Any overtime period will be five minutes in length with a one-minute intermission before each. Intermissions between the first and second and third and fourth periods will be 75 seconds | Complete list of changes
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2014-15 Final Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• The Cardinals made their fourth straight appearance in the MIAC Playoffs a year ago. … Saint Mary's has won at least one playoff game during its current four-year run. The Cardinals reached the MIAC semifinals in 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2014-15, while reaching the conference playoff title game in 2013-14. … Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) is the Cardinals' top offensive returner, averaging 9.6 ppg en route to her All-MIAC First-Team honor. … Schaefer netted a season- and career-high 26 points in Saint Mary's 90-58 MIAC Playoff quarterfinal win over Gustavus. … Schaefer closed out the year leading the team in scoring in three of its last four games—all Cardinal wins. … The Cardinals boasted three double-doubles last season, including 15 points and 11 boards from Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) vs. Hamline on Dec. 3. … Saint Mary's had a player record 10 or more rebounds four times. … The Cardinals had eight players record single-game career-highs of 10 points or more last season. … The Cardinals put four or more players in double figures six times last season—including a season-high six in their win over St. Catherine on Jan. 21 … The Cardinals shot a season-best 60 percent from the field against Gustavus in the MIAC Playoff quarterfinals—knocking down 11 of their first 12 shots and finishing 29-for-48, including 9 of 12 from the 3-point line. … Saint Mary's 60 percent effort from the field vs. Gustavus was their best since shooting at a 61 percent clip (44-for-72) against Crown on Nov. 23, 2013. … The Cardinals drained a season-high 26 free throws in their OT win over Concordia on Feb. 7. … Saint Mary's knocked down a season-high 12 3-pointers against North Park on Dec. 30. The Cardinals' 12 treys were the most since draining 12 3s against Carleton on Jan. 4, 2010. … As a team, the Cardinals finished with 156 3-pointers last season, and boasted six players with 10 or more treys—led by Schaefer with 37. … Saint Mary's win over Concordia on Feb. 7 was the Cardinals' only overtime game of the season. The Cardinals are now 3-0 in their last three overtime games. … The Cardinals outscored their opponents 868-749 in the game's opening 20 minutes last season. … The Cardinals held 18 of their 27 opponents to 30 points or less in the first half. … Saint Mary's scored a season-high 48 points in the first half vs. Gustavus in the MIAC Playoff quarterfinals—it was the fifth time the Cardinals netted 40 or more points in the opening 20 minutes. … As a team, Saint Mary's averaged 64.9 ppg, while the Cardinals' opponents scored at a 61.5 ppg clip. … The Cardinals finished 10-1 on their home court a year ago. Saint Mary's is 35-3 at the Saint Mary's Gym over the past three seasons. … With their 90-point outburst vs. Gustavus in the MIAC Playoff quarterfinals, Saint Mary's scored 80 or more points three times last season—adding 80-point efforts vs. Hamline (80-72) on Dec. 5 and St. Catherine (80-70) on Jan. 21. … The Cardinals put together winning streaks of eight, six games, and three to account for 17 of their 18 wins. … Saint Mary's season-opening eight-game winning streak was its longest such streak since opening the 1985-86 season by rattling off 19 straight wins.
 
Scouting The Winona State Warriors:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• The Warriors head into Saturday's game against Saint Mary's having one three straight (prior to their exhibition loss to Nebraska last Sunday). … Winona State enters Saturday's showdown ranked No. 16 in the latest WBCA/USA Today Preseason Poll. It's the first time in program history the Warriors have been ranked in the Top 25. … Saturday's contest is the first of four straight home games for the Warriors—who went 14-1 on their home court a year ago. … WSU is coming off a 20-8 season a year ago and returns its top seven scorers this season. … The Warriors boast three players averaging in double figures through three games—led by Alexis Foley, who is scoring at a 17.7 ppg clip. Tara Roelofs (14.7 ppg) and Kayla Timmerman (11.0 ppg) are also averaging 10 or more points-per-game. … Foley has led the team in scoring in each of its first three games, netting 18 vs. Cal State-Dominguez Hills, a season-high 20 against Academy of Art, and 15 vs. New York Institute of Technology. … Winona State also has four players—Timmerman (14), Foley (13), Roelofs (13), and Hannah McGlone (13)—who have hauled in 13 or more rebounds. … Foley (8), Roelofs (6), and Connor Nagle (6) have accounted for 20 of the team's 21 3-point field goals through three contests. … As a team, the Warriors are a near-perfect 55-for-59 from the free throw line this season. … Winona State heads into Saturday's contest vs. Saint Mary's averaging 72.0 ppg, while limiting its opponents to just 55.6 ppg.