NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team hits the road on Saturday, traveling to Carleton's West Gym for a 7 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against the Knights.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (9-2 MIAC | 15-3 Overall) at Carleton Knights (1-10 MIAC | 4-14 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals got 24 points and 12 rebounds from Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) and 10 points and eight assists from Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.), but they could not overcome an 18-point halftime deficit in falling to Augsburg 82-70 Wednesday in an MIAC contest at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Carleton: Kayla Frank scored a season-high 10 points, but the Knights committed 25 turnovers and St. Catherine pulled away for a 70-44 conference win over Carleton Wednesday at Butler Center in St. Paul, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Carleton—Earlier This Year:
• December 16, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's scored 35 of the game's first 42 points—including a span of 20 unanswered points—and never looked back in rolling to an 85-47victory over the Knights at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap

Saint Mary's vs. Carleton—A Year Ago:
• February 18, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's headed into the final week of the regular season needing one win in their final two Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games to earn a fourth straight trip to the conference playoffs. And the Cardinals weren't about to wait until their regular-season finale to punch that playoff ticket. Fueled by Octavia Brown's (Broadview, Ill.) first collegiate double-double, the Cardinals locked up one of the conference's six post-season berths, holding off Carleton 64-56 Wednesday at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return home to the Saint Mary's Gym on Wednesday, entertaining St. Catherine in a 7 p.m. conference matchup.
• Carleton: The Knights are back at home on Wednesday, hosting Concordia in a 7:45 p.m. MIAC showdown at West Gym.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Despite Wednesday's loss to Augsburg, the Cardinals still remain atop the conference standings. Saint Mary's is tied with St. Thomas at 9-2 in conference play, one game in front of Concordia, Gustavus and Saint Benedict. … Wednesday's loss to Augsburg snapped the Cardinals' two-game winning streak—and was just the second time this season Saint Mary's has lost on its home court. The Cardinals are now 7-2 at the Saint Mary's Gym this season and 42-5 over the past four years. … The Cardinals have had six different players lead them in scoring this season. … The Cardinals had 11 players see court time in their first meeting against Carleton on Dec. 16—and all 11 scored at least two points. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.)—named MIAC's Athlete of the Week for the second time this season on Monday—scored a game-high 24 points against Augsburg Wednesday. … Blattner has netted 20 or more points in back-to-back games, five times in the Cardinals' last seven games, and eight times this season. … Blattner scored a career-high 27 points in back-to-back games against St. Catherine and St. Olaf on Jan. 6 and Jan. 6—it was the highest single-game output since Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) tossed in 32 points against St. Olaf on Jan. 29, 2014. … Blattner recorded her second straight 12-rebound effort in Saint Mary's loss to Augsburg. It was her eighth collegiate double-double. … Blattner has recorded 10 or more rebounds in eight straight games and 11 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. … Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) scored a team-, game-, and career-high 24 points against St. Thomas on Jan. 15. … Meredith's 24-point effort against the Tommies marked the fourth time this season the senior has netted 20 or more points in a game. … 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. … McKenzie Sommers (Arlington, Minn.) equaled her collegiate best with 12 points against Macalester last Saturday, while Haley Trom (Hampton, Minn.) equaled her career high with 15 points against St. Catherine on Jan. 6, and Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) recorded a career-high 14 points against Carleton on Dec. 16. … The Cardinals head into their conference showdown at Carleton boasting a pair of players averaging in double figures—Blattner (16.6 ppg) and Meredith (13.7 ppg). … Blattner owns a team- and conference-best 185 rebounds (10.3 rpg), while Pethke—who dished out a career-high 10 assists against Augsburg on Dec. 9—leads the team with 113 assists and 57 steals. … With her 113 assists this season, Pethke has eclipsed the 100-assist mark for the second time in her collegiate career. … Pethke is currently sitting fourth all-time in career assists, just 24 helpers shy of record-holder Lisa Janikowski's 392 assists from 1983-87. … Saint Mary's—which knocked down a season-high 11 treys against UW-La Crosse on Nov. 24—has made 111 3-pointers. … The Cardinals boast three players—Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn. / 30), Meredith (23) and Huisman (21)—with 20 or more 3-pointers. … The Cardinals have made a season-high 26 free throws in a game twice this season—at Saint Benedict on Nov. 22 and vs. Gustavus on Dec. 2. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 71.0 ppg. … Saint Mary's 81-point effort in last Saturday's 81-56 win over Macalester marked the fourth time this season the Cardinals have scored 80 or more points—including 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 put four players in double figures in their 70-55 win over Hamline on Jan. 20—it was the second time this season Saint Mary's has had four double-figure scorers in a game. … Saint Mary's had its season-opening eight-game winning streak snapped with a 68-44 loss to UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 19. … Two of the Cardinals' three losses this season have come against nationally ranked teams—No. 14 UW-Stevens Point and No. 19 St. Thomas. … Saint Mary's has opened the season with eight consecutive wins—and nine wins in their first 10 games—in back-to-back seasons. … The Cardinals' 13-1 start to the season was 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. … 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 Carleton Knights:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• The Knights will play five of their final seven games on their home court, beginning Saturday against Saint Mary's. … Carleton's loss to St. Catherine on Wednesday was its fourth straight setback, and its ninth in their last 10 games. … Carleton snapped a season-high five-game losing streak with its 58-56 overtime win over Hamline on Jan. 13. … Kayla Frank scored a team-high 10 points against St. Catherine on Wednesday. It was the sixth time in her two-year collegiate career that the sophomore has scored in double figures. … Frank became the sixth different player to lead the Knights in scoring with her 10-point effort against St. Catherine Wednesday. … Michelle Arima heads into Saturday's matchup against Saint Mary's with a team-leading 9.1 ppg scoring average, while Nnenna Ezem is second at 7.5 ppg. … Ezem is the team's rebounding leader with 118 (6.6 rpg), while also owning a team-high 31 blocks. … Arima has dished out a team-best 16 assists and is the team's leader in steals with 22. … Carleton has netted 56 3-pointers through 18 games, led by Arima and Maya Okamota with 14 each. … Carleton, which is averaging 45.2 ppg, scored a season-high 65 points in a 65-56 win over Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 24. … On the flip side, the Knights have surrendered 80 or more points in a game four times, including a season-high 100 in a 100-28 loss to St. Thomas on Dec. 5.