ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as the Cardinals travel to Butler Center on the campus of St. Catherine for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Wildcats.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-0 MIAC | 10-1 Overall) vs. St. Catherine Wildcats (2-2 MIAC | 7-3 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals got 23 points from both Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) and Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) in beating UW-Stout 74-73 in Menomonie, Wis., last Saturday | Recap
• St. Catherine: The Wildcats have been off since Dec. 19, when Northwestern (Minn.) used a fourth-quarter run to pull away for a 64-58 nonconference win at Ericksen Center in St. Paul, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Catherine—A Year Ago:
• January 21, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals outscored St. Catherine by a combined 38-26 over the final 10 minutes of each half, as Saint Mary's pulled away to hand the Wildcats an 80-70 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on the road on Saturday, heading to Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference game against St. Olaf.
• St. Catherine: The Wildcats are back on the Butler Center court in St. Paul, Minn., on Saturday, entertaining Macalester in a 3 p.m. conference contest.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against St. Catherine is the fourth 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 UW-Stout, the Cardinals improved to 10-1 overall—the best 11-game start to the season 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. … 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—and nine wins in their first 10 games—in back-to-back seasons. … Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) and Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) each scored a game- and career-high 23 points against UW-Stout last Saturday. It was the second time this season Meredith netted a career-best 23 points, while Blattner's 23-point effort was one better than her previous career high. … Blattner and Meredith have each scored 20 or more points three times this season. Blattner also netted 21 points vs. Saint Benedict on Nov. 21 and 22 against Carleton on Dec. 16, while Meredith recorded 23 points in the Cardinals' win over Gustavus on Dec. 2 and tossed in 22 points vs. UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 29. … Blattner and Meredith have accounted for all six of the Cardinals' 20-point performances this season. … The 23-point showings by Meredith and Blattner against UW-Stout last Saturday marked the second straight game in which the Cardinals were led by a career-high performance—Haley Trom (Hampton, Minn.) scored a career-best 15 points to pace the Cardinals against Lawrence on Dec. 30. … 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 for her first collegiate double-double. … Blattner added 12 rebounds to her 23-point performance against UW-Stout last Saturday, giving the freshman her third double-double of the 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. … The Cardinals have had five different players lead them in scoring in their first 11 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 St. Catherine boasting a pair of players averaging in double figures—Meredith (14.6 ppg) and Blattner (14.3 ppg),. … Blattner owns a team-best 99 rebounds (9.0 rpg), while Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.)—who dished out a career-high 10 assists against Augsburg on Dec. 9—leads the team with 67 assists and 35 steals. … Saint Mary's—which knocked down a season-high 11 treys against UW-La Crosse on Nov. 24—has made 73 3-pointers through 11 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 72.8 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 five times through their first 11 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 St. Catherine Wildcats:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of back-to-back home games for the Wildcats, who are 3-1 on their home court this season. … The Wildcats' Dec. 19 loss to Northwestern (Minn.) snapped their two-game winning streak—a streak that included a 67-63 win over then-sixth-ranked St. Thomas. … Audra Clark scored a team-high 14 points in the Wildcats' loss to Northwestern on Dec. 19, while LaShay Holt and Kennedy Jennings also scored in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively. … Holt also hauled in a team-best 10 rebounds en route to her fourth double-double of the season. … Holt heads into Wednesday's showdown against Saint Mary's leading the team in scoring with a 14.8 ppg average. … Holt is one of three Wildcats averaging in double figures—Clark (12.3 ppg) and Shauna Horsch (11.2 ppg) are the other two. … Holt or Clark has led the Wildcats in scoring in eight of SCU's 10 games. … Holt has scored a season-high 22 points twice this season—vs. St. Thomas on Dec. 12 and vs. Whittier on Nov. 21—while Horsch equaled that mark against Occidental on Nov. 21. … Holt is also the team-leader in rebounds with 83 (9.2 rpg). … SCU boasts six players with 10 or more assists, led by Clark with 21 and Holt, Horsch, and Mari Lee with 18 each. … St. Catherine has drained 59 3-pointers through 10 games, led by Horsch with 17 and Holt with 12. … The Wildcats are averaging 66.4 ppg, while holding their opponents to just 60.6 ppg. … SCU holds a 664-606 scoring advantage, including 158-129 in the first quarter and a 178-158 edge in the game's third stanza. … The Wildcats have eclipsed the 80-point barrier twice this season—beating Crown 89-58 on Nov. 16, and topping UW-Stout 81-79 on Nov. 29. … SCU's victory over St. Thomas on Dec. 12 was its first vs. the Tommies since the 2010-11 season, while also snapping UST's 28-game win streak against MIAC opponents.