WINONA, Minn. — After five consecutive road games, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team returns home to the Saint Mary's Gym on Wednesday, as the Cardinals entertain Concordia in a 7:45 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (6-0 MIAC | 12-1 Overall) vs. Concordia Cobbers (4-2 MIAC | 8-5 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals got 27 points and 11 rebounds from Brandi Blattner, and used a 13-2 game-ending run to pull away in beating St. Olaf 57-46 last Saturday at Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn. | Recap
• Concordia: The Cobbers held a combined edge in points in the first and fourth quarters, but that paled in comparison to the big gap Saint Benedict put up in the second and third periods. The Blazers used a 23-point margin in the middle periods to come away with a 64-44 conference win over Concordia last Saturday in St. Joseph, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia—A Year Ago:
• January 3, 2015 * Moorhead, Minn.: Concordia scored the game's first basket and never relinquished the lead in handing the Cardinals a 55-41 conference setback at Memorial Auditorium | Recap
• February 7, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: Octavia Brown (Broadview, Ill.) poured in a career-high 22 points—nine more than her previous career best—in leading Saint Mary's to a 79-73 overtime win over Concordia at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to the Saint Mary's Gym on Saturday, hosting St. Thomas in a 3 p.m. conference tilt.
• Concordia: The Cobbers hit the road on Saturday, traveling to Macalester's Leonard Center for a 3 p.m. MIAC matchup against the Scots.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• After five straight road games, Wednesday's game against Concordia is the first of three consecutive home contests for the Cardinals, who are 5-0 on their home court this season—and 40-3 at the Saint Mary's Gym over the past four seasons. … The Cardinals' 57-46 win over St. Olaf last Saturday pushed their current winning streak to four in a row. … Saint Mary's had its season-opening eight-game winning streak snapped with a 68-44 loss to UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 19. … Saint Mary's has opened the season with eight consecutive wins—and nine wins in their first 10 games—in back-to-back seasons. … With their win over St. Olaf, the Cardinals improved to 12-1 overall—the best 13-game start since the 2013-14 season, when Saint Mary's opened 19-1 en route to its latest conference championship and NCAA Division III national tournament berth. … With their win over St. Olaf, the Cardinals improved to 6-0 in conference play and are currently alone atop the MIAC standings, two games in front of five teams—Bethel, Concordia, Gustavus, Saint Benedict, and St. Thomas. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) led the team in scoring for the third straight game Saturday, netting a career-high 27 points against St. Olaf. … Blattner has now scored 27 points in each of her last two games. The freshman also tossed in 27 points against St. Catherine last Wednesday. … Blattner—whose 27 points are the highest single-game output since Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) tossed in 32 points against St. Olaf on Jan. 29, 2014—has now scored 20 or more points five times this season, including each of her last three games. … Haley Trom (Hampton, Minn.) equaled her career high with 15 points against St. Catherine last Wednesday. … Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.), who tied her career-high with 23 points against UW-Stout on Jan. 23, has eclipsed the 20-point barrier three times this season. … Along with her 27 points, Blattner also hauled in a team-leading 11 rebounds against St. Olaf last Saturday en route to her third straight—and fifth career—double-double. … 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. … Meredith recorded her first collegiate double-double against Lawrence on Dec. 30, scoring 13 points and hauling in a team-, game-, and career-high 11 rebounds. … The Cardinals have had five different players lead them in scoring in their first 13 games. … The Cardinals had 11 players see court time against Carleton on Dec. 16—and all 11 scored at least two points. … Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) recorded a career-high 14 points against Carleton on Dec. 16, while McKenzie Sommers (Arlington, Minn.) tallied a career-best 12 points vs. Crown on Nov. 21. … The Cardinals head into their conference game against Concordia Wednesday boasting a pair of players averaging in double figures—Blattner (16.2 ppg) and Meredith (14.2 ppg). … Blattner owns a team- and conference-best 122 rebounds (9.4 rpg), while Pethke—who dished out a career-high 10 assists against Augsburg on Dec. 9—leads the team with 77 assists and 43 steals. … Saint Mary's—which knocked down a season-high 11 treys against UW-La Crosse on Nov. 24—has made 81 3-pointers through 13 games, led by Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) with 23. … 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 71.5 ppg. … Saint Mary's has scored 80 or more points three times this season—tossing in 85 in its Dec. 16 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. … 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 Concordia Cobbers:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of three straight road games for the Cobbers, who are 5-2 away from home this season. … Concordia's 66-44 loss to Saint Benedict last Saturday snapped their season-high four-game winning streak. … The Cobbers have not lost back-to-back games all season. … Three of the Cobbers' five losses have been by a combined 10 points. … Jenna Januschka scored a game-high 13 points for the Cobbers against Saint Benedict last Saturday. It is the seventh straight game in which she has scored in double figures. … Januschka has now led the team in scoring in four consecutive games and seven times this season. … Januschka or Olivia Johnson have been the Cobbers' leading scorer in 12 of the team's 13 games—the lone exception, Greta Walsh's 22-point effort against St. Thomas on Dec. 2. … Concordia has had a player score 20 or more points four times this season—Januschka has done it twice (22 points vs. both Bethel on Dec. 5 and UM-Morris on Nov. 14), while Johnson (23 vs. St. Scholastica on Nov. 30) and Walsh (22 vs. St. Thomas on Dec. 2) own the other two. … The Cobbers enter Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's boasting three players averaging in double figures—Januschka (15.4 ppg), Walsh (12.9 ppg), and Johnson (12.1 ppg). … Johnson is also the team-leader in rebounds with 112 (8.6 ppg). … Johnson owns a team-leading four double-doubles, while Januschka has added two. … The Cobbers have drained 64 3-pointers through 13 games, led by Walsh with 29. … Concordia leads the MIAC in free throw percentage at 78 percent (166-for-212). … The Cobbers have six players with 10 or more assists, led by Hannah Jeske with 43, while Walsh owns a team-leading 15 steals, one more than Katie Rosenfeldt. … The Cobbers are averaging 62.9 ppg, and have scored 70 or more points four times—including a season-high 84 points in an 84-68 win over St. Scholastica on Nov. 30. … Concordia has outscored its opponents 818-756—including 200-165 in the first quarter.