STEVENS POINT, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team steps out of conference play on Saturday, traveling to UW-Stevens Point for a 7 p.m. nonconference game against the Pointers.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (8-0 Overall) at UW-Stevens Point Pointers (5-2 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | Video Preview
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals got 22 points from Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) and 14 from Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) as they rolled to an 85-47 MIAC win over Carleton Wednesday at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• UW-Stevens Point: The Pointers have been off since last Saturday, when they shot 60 percent from the field on their way to a 26-point halftime lead and coasted to a 68-50 win over Illinois Wesleyan at Dennie Bridges Court at the IWU Shirk Center in Bloomington, Ill. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-Stevens Point—Their Last Meeting:
• December 30, 1996 * Stevens Point, Wis.: The Cardinals and Pointers have not met since 1996, when UW-Stevens Point came away with a 70-54 nonconference victory.
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals step out of conference play on Dec. 30, heading to Appleton, Wis., for a 3 p.m. nonconference showdown with Lawrence.
• UW-Stevens Point: The Pointers return to action on Dec. 30-31, squaring off against Luther and Edgewood, respectively, in Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• With their 85-47 win over Carleton Wednesday, the Cardinals pushed their season-opening winning streak to eight in a row. … Saint Mary's has now opened the season with eight consecutive wins in back-to-back seasons. It's the longest season-opening winning streak since opening the 1985-86 season by rattling off 19 straight wins. … With their win over Carleton Wednesday, the Cardinals improved to 5-0 on their home court this season—and moved to 40-3 at the Saint Mary's Gym over the past four seasons. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) scored a career-high 22 points against Carleton on Wednesday. … Blattner has now scored 20 or more points twice this season—the freshman netted a then-career best 21 points vs. Saint Benedict on Nov. 21. … Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) was held to eight points against the Knights Wednesday, marking just the second time in eight games the senior has been held under 10 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. … Blattner and Meredith have accounted for all four of the Cardinals' 20-point performances this season. … The Cardinals had 11 players see court time against the Knights on Wednesday—and all 11 scored at least two points. … 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. … Blattner 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 en route to her first two collegiate double-doubles. … Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) recorded a career-high 14 points against Carleton Wednesday, while McKenzie Sommers (Arlington, Minn.) tallied a career-best 12 points vs. Crown on Nov. 21. … The Cardinals head into Saturday's nonconference game against UW-Stevens Point boasting a pair of players averaging in double figures—Meredith (14.6 ppg) and Blattner (14.5 ppg),. … Blattner owns a team- and conference-best 75 rebounds (9.4 rpg), while Pethke—who dished out a career-high 10 assists against Augsburg on Dec. 9—leads the team with 49 assists. … Saint Mary's drained a season-high 11 3-pointers against UW-La Crosse on Nov. 24 . … The Cardinals have made 53 3-pointers through eight games, led by Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) with 18. … Schaefer's 54 percent shooting from behind the 3-point line (19-for-35) leads the MIAC. … 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 76.2 ppg and have won their eight games by an average of 19.0 points. … Saint Mary's has scored 80 or more points three times this season—tossing in 85 in Wednesday's 85-47 win over Carleton, adding 82 in an 82-74 win over Gustavus on Dec. 2, and 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 four times through their first eight games this season. … 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-Stevens Point Pointers:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• After back-to-back road games, the Pointers return home for Saturday's nonconference showdown against unbeaten Saint Mary's. … With its 68-50 win over Illinois Wesleyan last Saturday, UW-Stevens Point pushed its winning streak to two straight. The Pointers have won three of their last four—the lone blemish a 51-48 loss to 18th-ranked St. Thomas on Nov. 30. … UW-Stevens Point has faced two nationally ranked teams through its first seven games—along with the loss to No. 18 St. Thomas, the Pointers knocked off then-eighth-ranked Washington (Mo.) University 61-57 on Nov. 20. … UW-Stevens Point has scored 60 or more points in all five of its wins this season—including a season-high 92-point effort in a season-opening 92-45 win over Finlandia on Nov. 14. On the flip side, UW-SP has been held under 50 points in both of its losses—falling to the University of Chicago 63-40 and St. Thomas 51-48. … Autumn Hennes and Allie Miceli head into Saturday's game vs. Saint Mary's as the team's offensive leaders, averaging 11.7 ppg and 10.9 ppg, respectively. … Hennes owns the Pointers' top individual performance, netting 22 points against Finlandia on Nov. 14. … Hennes' 22-point showing marks the only time this season the Pointers have boasted a 20-point scorer. … Miceli owns a team-best 68 rebounds (9.7 rpg), while Lauren Anklam is the team-leader in assists (27) and Mickey Roland boasts a team-high 14 steals. … Miceli has recorded two double-doubles this season—including a season-high 18-point, 16-rebound performance against Carthage on Dec. 5. … As a team, UW-Stevens Point has knocked down 27 3-pointers, led by Anklam with 11. … UW-Stevens Point, which is averaging 62.9 ppg, has outscored its opponents 440-385—including 115-83 in the second quarter. … The Pointers are 2-1 on their home court, while going 3-1 away from Berg Gym.