WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team returns home on Wednesday, hosting Carleton in a 7 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-0 MIAC | 7-0 Overall) vs. Carleton Knights (0-3 MIAC | 3-6 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals kept their record perfect last Wednesday, using a 25-10 fourth-quarter rally to pull past Augsburg 64-51 at Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn. | Recap
• Carleton: With six players sidelined due to injury, the Knights were no match for St. Catherine last Wednesday, as the Wildcats handed Carleton a 59-45 conference setback at West Gym in Northfield, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Carleton—A Year Ago:
• February 18, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's headed into the final week of the regular season needing one win in their final two Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games to earn a fourth straight trip to the conference playoffs. And the Cardinals weren't about to wait until their regular-season finale to punch that playoff ticket. Fueled by Octavia Brown's (Broadview, Ill.) first collegiate double-double, the Cardinals locked up one of the conference's six post-season berths, holding off Carleton 64-56 Wednesday at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals step out of conference play on Saturday, traveling to Stevens Point, Wis., for a 7 p.m. nonconference showdown with UW-Stevens Point.
• Carleton: The Knights are now off until Jan. 2, when they entertain Coe in a 3 p.m. nonconference game at West Gym in Northfield, Minn.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• The Cardinals pushed their season-opening winning streak to seven straight with last Wednesday's 64-51 win over Augsburg. … The Cardinals have now won seven or more games in a row to open the season in back-to-back years. 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. … With their 67-52 victory over Macalester on Dec. 5, the Cardinals improved to 4-0 on their home court this season—and moved to 39-3 at the Saint Mary's Gym over the past four seasons. … Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) and Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) each scored 14 points to pace the Cardinals against Augsburg last Wednesday. … After opening the season with five points against Crown, Meredith has scored in double figures in each of the last six games. … Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) became the fourth different player to lead the team in scoring in the Cardinals' win over Macalester on Dec. 5, netting a team-best 14 points. … Meredith recorded a career-high 23 points in the Cardinals' win over Gustavus on Dec. 2. It was the second straight game in which the senior posted a career-best performance—she scored 22 points against UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 29. … With Meredith's 22- and 23-point showings, the Cardinals have now boasted a 20-point scorer three times this season—Blattner recorded a career-best 21 points vs. Saint Benedict on Nov. 22. … Blattner, who missed out on her third double-double of the season by one rebound vs. Augsburg last Wednesday, hauled in a career-high 19 rebounds in Saint Mary's win over UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 29. It was the Cardinals' highest single-game rebounding performance in the last two decades. … Blattner scored 21 points and tallied 11 boards vs. Saint Benedict on Nov. 22, and added a 12-point, 19-rebound effort against UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 29. … McKenzie Sommers (Arlington, Minn.) tallied a career-best 12 points vs. Crown on Nov. 21. … The Cardinals head into Wednesday's MIAC game against Carleton boasting three players who are averaging in double figures—Meredith (15.6 ppg), Blattner (13.4 ppg), and Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn. / 10.1 ppg). … Blattner owns a team-best 67 rebounds (9.6 rpg), while Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.)—who dished out a career-high 10 assists against Augsburg last Wednesday—leads the team with 41 assists. … The Cardinals were near-perfect from the free throw line vs. the Auggies last Wednesday, draining 17 of 18. … Saint Mary's drained a season-high 11 3-pointers against UW-La Crosse on Nov. 24 . … The Cardinals have made 48 3-pointers through seven games, led by Schaefer with 18. … Saint Mary's boasted a season-high four players in double figures against Crown on Nov. 21—Blattner (14), Sommers (12), 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 … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 75.0 ppg and have won their seven games by an average of 16.3 points. … Saint Mary's has scored 80 or more points twice this season—netting 82 in an 82-74 win over Gustavus on Dec. 2, while scoring a season-high 88 points in their season-opening win over Crown on Nov. 21. Saint Mary's scored 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. … 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. … The Cardinals have led at halftime three times through their first seven games this season—holding leads of 44-7 against Crown, 35-30 vs. Gustavus and 36-30 against Macalester. … 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 Carleton Knights:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's will be the seventh road game of the season for the Knights, who have played just three times on their home court. … Carleton enters Wednesday's showdown with the unbeaten Cardinals having won just once in their last three contests—including a 100-29 loss to ninth-ranked St. Thomas. … Sarah Walldfogel and Michele Arima each scored a team-high 13 points for the Knights against St. Catherine last Wednesday. … Nnenna Ezem and Cece Leone both recorded nine boards vs. the Wildcats. … Anne Hamilton enters Wednesday's matchup with Saint Mary's as the only Knight averaging in double figures at 11.8 ppg. … With her nine rebounds vs. St. Catherine last Wednesday, Ezem pushed her team-leading total to 57 (6.3 rpg), 10 more than Hamilton. … Ezem also leads the team with 19 blocks, while Caroline Hull and Hamilton share the team's top spot in assists with 14 each. … Maya Okamoto is shooting a team-leading 52 percent from the 3-point line, going 11-for-21. … Carleton, which is averaging 50.3 ppg, has been outscored 586-453 through nine games—including 157-107 in the first quarter.