WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team returns to the Saint Mary's Gym on Sunday, as the Cardinals entertain UW-Eau Claire in a 3 p.m. nonconference game.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-0 Overall) vs. UW-Eau Claire Blugolds (2-2 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | Video Preview | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals outscored UW-La Crosse 44-33 in the second half, breaking away from a 32-32 halftime deadlock and cruising to a 76-65 nonconference win Tuesday evening at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• UW-Eau Claire:  The Blugolds reached the .500 mark on Tuesday, getting a game-high 24 points from Teenie Lichfus in posting a 70-62 win over St. Norbert Tuesday in De Pere, Wis. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-Eau Claire—A Year Ago:
• November 18, 2014 * Eau Claire, Wis.: They may have had to take a different, come-from-behind approach this time around, but the end result was the same for the Cardinals, as Saint Mary's rallied to pick up its third straight win to open the season with a 71-62 victory over the Blugolds at Zorn Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are right back on their home court on Wednesday, kicking off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a 7 p.m. showdown against Gustavus at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• UW-Eau Claire: The Blugolds return to Zorn Arena in Eau Claire, Wis., on Saturday, hosting Wartburg in a 3 p.m. nonconference game.
 
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.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Last Tuesday's game against UW-La Crosse was the home opener for the Cardinals, who finished 10-1 on their home court a year ago. Saint Mary's is now 36-3 at the Saint Mary's Gym over the past four seasons. … Sunday's game against UW-Eau Claire is the second of four straight home games for the Cardinals, who do not play on the road again until Dec. 9 at Augsburg. … The Cardinals erupted for 88 points in their season-opening win over Crown on Nov. 21. Saint Mary's netted 80 or more points three times a year ago—including a season-best 90 points in a 90-58 MIAC Playoff win over Gustavus on Feb. 24. … With their 76-65 win over UW-La Crosse last Tuesday, the Cardinals improved to 3-0—marking the fourth straight season Saint Mary's has won at least three in a row to open the season. Saint Mary's put together an eight-game, season-opening winning streak a year ago— the Cardinals' longest such streak since opening the 1985-86 season by rattling off 19 straight wins. … Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) scored a team-high 17 points to lead three players in double figures against UW-La Cross last Tuesday. … Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.)—who equaled her career high with 18 points in the Cardinals' win over Saint Benedict on Nov. 22—chipped in 14 points against the Eagles last Tuesday, while Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) added 10. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) led the Cardinals in scoring in their first two wins of the season—netting 14 points in Saint Mary's 88-35 win over Crown on Nov. 21, then added a career-best 21 in the 75-67 victory vs. Saint Benedict a day later. … Blattner also hauled in a team- and game-high 11 rebounds against Saint Benedict en route to her first collegiate double-double. … Blattner enjoyed a perfect day in her 14-point showing against Crown, going 5-for-5 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. … McKenzie Sommers (Arlington, Minn.) tallied a career-best 12 points vs. Crown on Nov. 21. … Blattner (14.3 ppg), Meredith (12.3 ppg), and Schaefer (10.3 ppg) all enter Sunday's game against UW-Eau Claire averaging in double figures. … Blattner also owns a team-best 21 rebounds (7.0 rpg), while Pethke—whose seven assists vs. UW-La Crosse last Tuesday were one shy of her collegiate best—leads the team with 18 assists. … The Cardinals have drained 23 3-pointers through three games, led by Schaefer with seven. … Saint Mary's boasted four players in double figures against Crown—Blattner, Sommers, Brigette Audette (Big Lake, Minn. / 11), and Schaefer (11). The Cardinals put four or more players in double figures in a single game six times last season—including a season-high six in their win over St. Catherine on Jan. 21 … Saint Mary's held Crown to just seven first-half points in its season-opening 88-34 win over the Storm. It was the fewest points allowed in a half in program history, breaking the old mark of 14 set by the 2013-14 team—also against Crown. … Saint Mary's played one overtime game last season—a 79-73 win over Concordia on Feb. 7. The Cardinals are 3-0 in their last three overtime games. … 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.
 
Scouting The UW-Eau Claire Blugolds:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Sunday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of back-to-back road games for the Blugolds, who are 1-1 on the road this season. … Sunday's contest will be the Blugolds' second trip to Winona, Minn., this season—UW-Eau Claire dropped an 85-44 decision at Winona State on Nov. 18. … Teenie Lichtfuss scored a game-high 24 points for the Blugolds in their win over St. Norbert last Tuesday, while Erin O'Toole and Madison Johnson also scored in double figures with 16 and 14 points, respectively. … O'Toole also collected a game-high 14 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. … O'Toole heads into Sunday's game against Saint Mary's averaging a team-high 16.0 ppg, while also leading the team with 29 rebounds (9.7 rpg) and nine blocks. … Lichtfuss (15.5 ppg) and Johnson (12.8 ppg) are also averaging in double figures. … Bree Meier (9) and Litchfuss (7) have accounted for 16 of the team's 26 3-pointers through four games. … Johnson, Jennie LaCroix, and Arien Becker all share the team lead with eight assists each. … As a team, the Blugolds are averaging 63.8 ppg. UW-Eau Claire has scored 70 or more points in their two wins—including a season-high 83 in an 83-77 victory over St. Scholastica on Nov. 20. On the flip side, the Blugolds have scored less than 60 points in their two losses.