WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team kicks off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, hosting Gustavus in a 7 p.m. contest at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0 MIAC | 4-0 Overall) vs. Gustavus Gusties (0-0 MIAC | 3-1 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals pushed their season-opening winning streak to four in a row last Sunday, outscoring UW-Eau Claire 24-14 in the fourth quarter en route to a 73-68 nonconference win at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Gustavus: Mikayla Miller scored a game-high 27 points to lead five players in double figures, as the Gusties beat Buena Vista 106-93 in a nonconference game in Storm Lake, Iowa, on Nov. 24 | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus—A Year Ago:
• January 10, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Gustavus was a classic 2015 rendition of "The Tortoise and the Hare." It didn't matter how fast—or how big—a team would lead by, it would only be a matter of time before that would change. In the 40-minute at the Saint Mary's Gym, the Gusties owned runs of 10-0 and 16-0, while the Cardinals put together runs of 16-1 and 20-2. Fortunately for the Cardinals, those two runs—and their combined 36-3 scoring advantage—proved just enough, as Saint Mary's held off the Gusties 74-67 to snap its season-high four-game losing streak | Recap
• February 14, 2015 * St. Peter, Minn.: There were plenty of playoff ramifications when Saint Mary's squared off against Gustavus. A win would put either the Cardinals or Gusties in the driver's seat for the No. 3 spot. A loss, and it's a must-win scenario over the game's final week of the regular season. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, it was the Gusties who had the pedal to the metal from the get-go, as Gustavus erupted for 42 first-half points in handing Saint Mary's a 75-47 setback at Gus Young Court | Recap
• February 24, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals gave the Gusties a taste of their own medicine—and then some—as Saint Mary's was nearly perfect in the game's opening 20 minutes, pouring in a season-high 48 first-half points and never looking back in routing the Gusties 90-58 to earn a spot in the conference semifinal against second-seeded Bethel | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to the Saint Mary's Gym on Saturday, entertaining Macalester in a 3 p.m. conference game.
• Gustavus: The Gusties are back on the road on Saturday, heading to Minneapolis, Minn., for a 3 p.m. MIAC showdown with Augsburg.
 
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
• With Sunday's 73-68 win over UW-Eau Claire, the Cardinals' pushed their season-opening winning streak to four in a row—including back-to-back victories on their home court. It's 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. … With their home wins over UW-La Crosse and UW-Eau Claire last week, the Cardinals improved to 37-3 on their home court over the past four seasons. … Wednesday's conference-opener against Gustavus is the third 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. … Saint Mary's boasted three players scoring in double figures against UW-Eau Claire last Sunday. Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) scored a career-high 22 points, while Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) chipped in 17 and Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) added 12. … With Meredith's 22-point effort against UW-Eau Claire, the Cardinals have now boasted a 20-point scorer in two of their first four games—Blattner netted a career-best 21 points vs. Saint Benedict on Nov. 22. … After opening the season with five points against Crown, Meredith has scored 18, 14, and 22 points in her last three games. … Along with her 12 points vs. the Blugolds, Blattner also hauled in a career-high 19 rebounds—the Cardinals' highest single-game rebounding performance in the last two decades. … Blattner has posted two double-doubles in two of the team's four games—the freshman scored 21 points and tallied 11 boards vs. Saint Benedict on Nov. 22. … McKenzie Sommers (Arlington, Minn.) tallied a career-best 12 points vs. Crown on Nov. 21. … Meredith (14.8 ppg), Blattner (13.8 ppg), and Schaefer (12.0 ppg) all enter Wednesday's game against Gustavus averaging in double figures. … Blattner also owns a team-best 40 rebounds (10.0 rpg), while Pethke—whose seven assists vs. UW-La Crosse on Nov. 24 were one shy of her collegiate best—leads the team with 22 assists. … Saint Mary's drained a season-high 10 3-pointers against UW-Eau Claire last Sunday. The Cardinals knocked down 10 or more treys three times a year ago. … The Cardinals have made 33 3-pointers through four games, led by Schaefer with 12. … 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. … The Cardinals have led at halftime just once this season—Saint Mary's was tied against both Saint Benedict and UW-La Crosse at the break, while trailing UW-Eau Claire by four. … 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 Gustavus Gusties:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• The Gusties head into Wednesday's conference opener against Saint Mary's having won three of their first four contests—including back-to-back wins over Martin Luther and UW-Stout to open the season. … The Gusties have scored 70 or more points in all three of their wins this season, while being held to just 61 in their lone loss—a 76-61 setback against UW-River Falls on Nov. 21. … Gustavus' 106 points against Buena Vista on Nov. 24 marked just the sixth time in program history the Gusties have eclipsed the 100-point mark—and the first time since late in the 2002 season. … The 106 points vs. BVU are the fourth-most all-time and were just seven shy of the program record 113 points scored in a 113-34 win over Mount St. Clare on Nov. 16, 1990. … Gustavus boasted a season-high five players in double figures against Buena Vista, led by Mikayla Miller's game-high 27 points. Lindsey Johnson (18), Kelsey Carpenter (18), Hannah Howard (13), and Kendall Thompson (10) also scored 10 or more points against the Beavers. … Miller has now led the team in scoring in three of their four games, including her season-high 27-point effort against BVU. … Gustavus has seven different players who have netted 10 or more points in a game this season. … Miller (20.8 ppg) and Johnson (15.8 ppg) both head into Wednesday's showdown at Saint Mary's averaging in double figures. … Johnson and Miller have accounted for 15 of the team's 26 3-pointers through four games—Johnson has drained nine and Miller has chipped in six. … GAC boasts three players—Johnson (23), Miller (21) and Howard (20)—with 20 or more rebounds, while Jonson has also dished out a team-best 11 assists, one more than Carpenter. … Gustavus has outscored its opponents 318-295—including 90-68 in the third quarter. … Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of three straight road games for the Gusties, who do not return home until Dec. 9, when they host Bethel in a 7 p.m. contest.