MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — After four straight home games, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team hits the road on Wednesday, traveling to Si Melby Hall for a 7 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Augsburg.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-0 MIAC | 6-0 Overall) at Augsburg Auggies (0-2 MIAC | 5-3 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals ran their season-opening winning streak to six, breaking away in the second half in beating Macalester 67-52 last Saturday at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Augsburg: Gustavus used a late second-half run to hand the Auggies a 59-54 conference setback last Saturday at Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Augsburg—A Year Ago:
• December 6, 2014 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals—ranked No. 14 in the latest USA Today Sports Coaches Poll and No. 16 in the D3hoops.com Top 25—raced out to leads as big as 22 in the first half, but had to survive a 20-0 Augsburg second-half run to dispatch of the Auggies 66-57 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• January 24, 2015 * Minneapolis, Minn.: The Cardinals once again played the majority of the game from out front—in fact, after giving up a game-opening basket to the Auggies' Bridget Bednar, the Cardinals scored nine unanswered points and never relinquished the lead. But for the second straight meeting, no matter how hard the Cardinals tried, no lead was safe. Fortunately, the Cardinals used a five-minute, game-ending 8-4 run to turn a two-point, 43-41 lead into a 51-45 victory at Si Melby Hall | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to the Saint Mary's Gym on December 16, hosting Carleton in a 7 p.m. conference game.
• Augsburg: The Auggies take to the road on Saturday, heading to Moorhead, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference showdown with Concordia.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Macalester was the Cardinals' fourth straight home contest. With the 67-52 victory, 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. … With their victory over Macalester last Saturday, the Cardinals pushed their season-opening winning streak to six in a row. … The Cardinals have now won six 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. … Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) became the fourth different player to lead the team in scoring in last Saturday's win over Macalester, netting a team-best 14 points. … Pethke was one of three players to score 10 or more points vs. the Scots—Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) and Brigette Audette (Big Lake, Minn.) chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively. … 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 in three of their six five games—Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) recorded a career-best 21 points vs. Saint Benedict on Nov. 22. … After opening the season with five points against Crown, Meredith has scored in double figures in each of the last five games. … Blattner, who collected 10 rebounds in the Cardinals' win over Macalester last Saturday, 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 has posted double-doubles in two of the team's six games—the freshman 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 at Augsburg boasting four players who are averaging in double figures—Meredith (15.8 ppg), Blattner (13.3 ppg), Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn. / 10.3 ppg), and Pethke (10.0 ppg). … Blattner also owns a team-best 58 rebounds (9.7 rpg), while Pethke—whose seven assists vs. UW-La Crosse on Nov. 24 were one shy of her collegiate best—leads the team with 31 assists. … Saint Mary's drained a season-high 10 3-pointers against UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 29 . … The Cardinals have made 43 3-pointers through six games, led by Schaefer with 15. … Saint Mary's boasted a season-high four players in double figures against Crown on Nov. 21—Blattner (14), Sommers (12), Audette (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 76.8 ppg and have won their six games by an average of 16.8 points. … Saint Mary's has scored 80 or more points in two of its first six games—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 six games this season—holding leads of 44-7 against Crown, 35-30 vs. Gustavus and 36-30 against Macalester. 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 Augsburg Auggies:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• After winning five of their first six games, last Saturday's 59-54 loss to Gustavus was the Auggies' second straight. … Six of Augsburg's first eight games have been decided by nine points or less. … Allison McKee and Maria Loughlin each scored 14 points to pace the Augsburg offense against Gustavus last Saturday. … Bridget Bednar also finished in double figures against GAC, finishing with 10 points. … McKee's 14-point effort vs. GAC last Saturday was a career high. … Loughlin heads into Wednesday's showdown with Saint Mary's averaging a team-best 10.8 ppg, followed by Hannah Steinhaus (9.1 ppg) and Jessica Lillquist (9.0 ppg). … Lillquist scored a career-high 32 points in the Auggies' 80-71 win over North Central (Ill.) on Nov. 27. Lillquist also added a career-best 15 boards vs. the Cardinals for her first double-double of the season and third of her collegiate career. … The Auggies have had four different players lead them in scoring through eight games—Loughlin has done it three times, Steinhaus and Alaina Quaranta twice, and Lillquist once. … Steinhaus owns a team-leading 59 rebounds (7.4 rpg), 10 more than Lillquist, while Loughlin is the team leader in both assists (28) and steals (21). … Augsburg has knocked down 35 3-pointers through eight games, led by Loughlin with 13. … Augsburg is averaging 65.6 ppg, and scored a season-high 80 points in an 80-71 win over North Central (Ill.) on Nov. 27. … Augsburg holds a 138-111 scoring advantage in the second quarter, while also outscoring its opponents 155-143 in the fourth period. … The Auggies are unbeaten (4-0) on the road this season, while going 1-3 at Si Melby Hall.