MENOMONIE, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team steps out of conference play on Saturday, traveling to UW-Stout for a 2 p.m. nonconference game against the Blue Devils.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (9-1 Overall) at UW-Stout Blue Devils (6-4 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals used a 16-3 run to end first quarter to race out to a 19-6 lead, and outscored Lawrence 15-2 to open the third stanza in cruising to a convincing 73-49 nonconference win over Lawrence Wednesday at Alexander Gym in Appleton, Wis. | Recap
• UW-Stout: The Blue Devils went unbeaten in its two games at the Music City Classic in Nashville, Tenn., beating Penn State-Behrend 79-61 on Tuesday and Hamilton 76-62 on Wednesday | Penn State-Behrend Recap * Hamilton Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-Stout—Their Last Meeting:
• November 21, 2014 * Winona, Minn.:  It appeared like Saint Mary's was going to be able to put it in cruise control after racing out to a 26-7 first-half lead in it nonconference game against UW-Stout at the Saint Mary's Gym. The Blue Devils, however, had other ideas, clawing back to within five late in the second half. Fortunately for coach Mandy Pearson, the Cardinals had more than enough gas left in the tank—and put the pedal to the metal—outscoring UW-Stout 12-3 over those final three minutes to push their season-opening winning streak to four in a row | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to conference play on Wednesday, traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup with St. Catherine.
• UW-Stout: The Blue Devils hit the road on Wednesday, heading to Whitewater, Wis., for a 7 p.m. WIAC showdown with UW-Whitewater.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Saturday's game against UW-Stout is the third of five straight road games for the Cardinals, who do not play at home again until Jan. 13, when they entertain Concordia. … With their win over Lawrence, the Cardinals improved to 9-1 overall­—marking the second straight season Saint Mary's has opened the year with nine wins in their first 10 games. … The Cardinals' 68-44 loss to UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 19 snapped their season-opening eight-game losing streak. … Saint Mary's has opened the season with eight consecutive wins in back-to-back seasons. It was the longest season-opening winning streak since opening the 1985-86 season by rattling off 19 straight wins. … Haley Trom (Hampton, Minn.) scored a career-high 15 points to pace the Cardinals against Lawrence Wednesday, while Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) and Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively. … Meredith also hauled in a team-, game-, and career-high 11 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double. … Trom became the fifth different player to lead the team in scoring in the Cardinals' win over Lawrence. … Blattner scored a career-high 22 points against Carleton on Dec. 16. … 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. … 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 Carleton on Dec. 16—and all 11 scored at least two 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 on Dec. 16, while McKenzie Sommers (Arlington, Minn.) tallied a career-best 12 points vs. Crown on Nov. 21. … The Cardinals head into their nonconference game against UW-Stout boasting a pair of players averaging in double figures—Meredith (13.8 ppg) and Blattner (13.4 ppg),. … Blattner owns a team- and conference-best 87 rebounds (8.7 rpg), while Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.)—who dished out a career-high 10 assists against Augsburg on Dec. 9—leads the team with 62 assists. … Saint Mary's—which knocked down 10 3-pointers against Lawrence Wednesday—drained a season-high 11 treys against UW-La Crosse on Nov. 24 . … The Cardinals have made 66 3-pointers through 10 games, led by Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) with 21. … 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 72.7 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. … The Cardinals have led at halftime four times through their first nine games this season. … With their win over Carleton on Dec. 16, 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. … 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-Stout Blue Devils:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• With their performance at the Music City Classic, the Blue Devils pushed their winning streak to three straight. … UW-Stout has now won three in a row twice this season. … Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the sixth against teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Blue Devils have already faced Saint Benedict (L, 69-64), Gustavus (L, 72-67), Augsburg (W, 78-69), Hamline (W, 86-63), and St. Catherine (L, 81-79). … UW-Stout's four losses this season have been by a combined 15 points. … Jenna Goldsmith posted back-to-back double-doubles for the Blue Devils at the Music City Classic, scoring 21 points and adding 12 rebounds against Penn State-Behrend, while adding 16 points and 11 boards against Hamilton. … Goldsmith—who has led the team in scoring in six of their 10 games—has now recorded three double-doubles this season. … Stephanie Kastens came off the bench to score a career-high 13 points vs. Hamilton Wednesday. … The Blue Devils head into their final nonconference game of the season against Saint Mary's on Saturday boasting three players averaging in double figures—Goldsmith (13.6 ppg), Kyleigh Hebert (10.8 ppg), and Sarah Schoch (10.7 ppg). … Goldsmith also leads the team in rebounds with 81 (8.1 rpg) and blocks (23), while Hebert owns a team-best 58 assists and is also the team-leader in steals with 32. … UW-Stout has had a player score 20 or more points four times—including a season-high 25-point effort by Schoch against Hamline on Nov. 24. … As a team, UW-Stout has knocked down 46 3-pointers this season, led by Nicole Schaub with 15 and Schoch with 11. …  UW-Stout, which is averaging 77.5 ppg, has scored 79 or more points in five of its 10 contests—including an 87-point effort in a win over St. Scholastica, and an 86-point showing in beating Hamline. … The Blue Devils have outscored their first 10 opponents 775-694—including 392-212 in the first half. … UW-Stout has played three neutral-court contests this season—winning all three.