WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team returns home to the Saint Mary's Gym on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain nationally ranked St. Thomas in a 3 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (7-0 MIAC | 13-1 Overall) vs. #19/#22 St. Thomas Tommies (5-2 MIAC | 11-3 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals got 17 points from both Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) and Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) in handing Concordia a 61-55 conference setback Wednesday evening at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• St. Thomas: After suffering a 20-point loss to Bethel on Saturday, the Tommies got back on track Wednesday, blowing past Saint Benedict 54-36 at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Thomas—A Year Ago:
• February 4, 2015 * St. Paul, Minn.: The Cardinals—squaring off against league-leading, unbeaten and third-ranked St. Thomas in the only meeting between the two teams—shot just 33 percent from the field. And the high-powered Tommies took advantage. St. Thomas erupted for 42 second-half points—while holding Saint Mary's to 28—as the Tommies pulled away to hand the Cardinals a 74-51 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Schoenecker Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals will play their third consecutive game at the Saint Mary's Gym on Wednesday, entertaining Hamline in a 7 p.m. conference contest.
• St. Thomas: The Tommies hit the road on Wednesday, heading to St. Olaf's Skoglund Center for a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup against the Oles.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Saturday's game against the Tommies is the second of three straight home contests for the Cardinals, who are 6-0 on their home court this season—and 41-3 at the Saint Mary's Gym over the past four seasons. … The Cardinals' 61-55 win over Concordia last Wednesday pushed their current winning streak to five 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 Concordia, the Cardinals improved to 13-1 overall—the best 14-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 Concordia, the Cardinals improved to 7-0 in conference play and are currently alone atop the MIAC standings, two games in front of St. Thomas and Gustavus. … Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) and Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) shared the team lead in scoring against Concordia last Wednesday, each netting 17 points. … Blattner also hauled in 14 rebounds en route to her fourth straight—and fifth career—double-double. … Blattner scored a career-high 27 points in back-to-back games against St. Catherine and St. Olaf on Jan. 6 and Jan. 9. … Blattner—whose 27 points are the highest single-game output since Pethke tossed in 32 points against St. Olaf on Jan. 29, 2014—has scored 20 or more points five times this season, including three of her last four games. … Haley Trom (Hampton, Minn.) equaled her career high with 15 points against St. Catherine on Jan. 6. … 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. … 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 six 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 showdown against St. Thomas boasting a pair of players averaging in double figures—Blattner (16.3 ppg) and Meredith (13.9 ppg). … Blattner owns a team- and conference-best 136 rebounds (9.7 rpg), while Pethke—who dished out a career-high 10 assists against Augsburg on Dec. 9—leads the team with 84 assists and 47 steals. … Saint Mary's—which knocked down a season-high 11 treys against UW-La Crosse on Nov. 24—has made 85 3-pointers through 14 games, led by Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) with 24. … 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, 2015. … 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 St. Thomas Tommies:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• After three straight home games, Saturday's showdown with Saint Mary's is the first of three consecutive road contests for the Tommies, who are 7-2 away from Schoenecker Arena this season. … After opening the season with eight straight wins, the Tommies are 3-3 in their last six contests. … UST's 67-63 loss to St. Catherine on Dec. 12 snapped their season-opening eight-game win streak. … St. Thomas enters Saturday's matchup against Saint Mary's ranked No. 19 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25, and No. 22 in the USA Today Sports Top 25. … The Tommies' 80-60 loss to Bethel last Saturday snapped a 13-game winning streak against the Royals, who last beat the Tommies on January 7, 2009. … Kaitlin Langer was the only Tommie to score in double figures against Saint Benedict Wednesday, pouring in a game-high 13 points and adding seven rebounds. … Langer heads into Saturday's game at Saint Mary's as one of three Tommies averaging in double figures at 17.4 ppg. Gabby Zehrer (13.6 ppg) and Katie Stone (11.2 ppg) are also scoring in double figures. … Langer is also the team's leader in rebounds with 119 (8.5 rpg), while Paige Gernes owns team highs in assists (36) and steals (15). … UST has knocked down 82 3-pointers through 14 games, led by Stone with 31. … The Tommies are averaging 68.7 ppg and have outscored their opponents in every quarter—228-170 in the first, 224-207 in the second, 242-201 in the third, and 268-209 in the fourth. … UST's 54-point effort against the Blazers Wednesday marked the second time this season the Tommies have won, despite scoring less than 60 points. On the flip side, St. Thomas has netted 90 or more points twice—beating Buena Vista 94-79 and tossing in a season-high 100 points in a 100-28 win over Carleton.