NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals travel to Skoglund Center on the campus of St. Olaf for a 3 p.m. matchup with the Oles.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (5-0 MIAC | 11-1 Overall) at St. Olaf Oles (3-2 MIAC | 8-4 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals—behind a career-high 27-point performance from Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.)—rallied from a nine-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter to beat St. Catherine 71-67 Wednesday at Butler Center in St. Paul, Minn. | Recap
• St. Olaf: The Oles had no answer for Bethel's long-range attack, as the Royals knocked down eight 3-pointers in rolling to a 66-48 conference win over St. Olaf Wednesday at Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Olaf—A Year Ago:
• January 7, 2015 * Northfield, Minn.: With 10 seconds remaining in their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against St. Olaf, it appeared Saint Mary's was on its way to a key conference victory. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, things aren't always as they appear. St. Olaf's Betsy Daly scored on a driving layup with 1.6 seconds remaining in regulation, erasing a one-point Cardinal lead and lifting the Oles to a 66-65 victory over Saint Mary's at Skoglund Center | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: After five straight road games, the Cardinals finally return home to the Saint Mary's Gym on Wednesday, entertaining Concordia in a 7:45 p.m. MIAC showdown.
• St. Olaf: The Oles are home again on Wednesday, playing host to Macalester in a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup at Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Saturday's game against St. Olaf is the last of five straight road games for the Cardinals, who finally return home on Wednesday, when they entertain Concordia. … With their win over St. Catherine, the Cardinals improved to 11-1 overall—the best 12-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. Catherine—their fifth straight conference victory—the Cardinals are currently alone atop the MIAC standings, one game in front of both Concordia and St. Thomas. … The Cardinals' 68-44 loss to UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 19 snapped their season-opening eight-game winning 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. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) led a trio of Cardinals who scored in double figures against St. Catherine last Wednesday, pouring in a career-high 27 points. … Blattner's 27-point effort against the Wildcats marked the second straight night the freshman has put together a career-best performance—she scored a then-career-high 23 points against UW-Stout on Jan. 2. … 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 four times this season. … Haley Trom (Hampton, Minn.) equaled her career high with 15 points against St. Catherine last Wednesday, while Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) finished with 10. … Meredith, who equaled 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 12 rebounds en route to her second straight—and fourth 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 for her first collegiate double-double. … The Cardinals have had five different players lead them in scoring in their first 12 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. St. Olaf Saturday boasting a pair of players averaging in double figures—Blattner (15.3 ppg) and Meredith (14.3 ppg). … Blattner owns a team- and conference-best 111 rebounds (9.3 rpg), while Pethke—who dished out a career-high 10 assists against Augsburg on Dec. 9—leads the team with 71 assists and 39 steals. … Saint Mary's—which knocked down a season-high 11 treys against UW-La Crosse on Nov. 24—has made 75 3-pointers through 12 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 72.7 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. … 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. Olaf Oles:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• After three straight road games, Saturday's showdown with Saint Mary's is the first of back-to-back home games for the Oles, who are 4-2 on their home court this season. … Wednesday's loss to Bethel snapped St. Olaf's two-game winning streak. … After rattling off a season-high six consecutive wins to move to 6-1, the Oles are 2-3 in their last five contests. … Makenna Ash was the lone Ole to score in double figures in Wednesday's loss to Bethel, finishing with 10 points and a team-leading eight rebounds. … Ash has now scored a team-best 10 points in each of the Oles' last three contests, while leading the team in scoring five times through 12 games. … Betsey Daly is averaging a team-leading 12.6 ppg, while also boasting a team-high 100 rebounds (8.3 rpg). … Daly has scored a season- and team-high 18 points twice this season, while Ash has hit that mark once. … St. Olaf has knocked down 65 3-pointers through 12 games, led by Afton Wolter (23) and Woo Bandel (10). … The Oles boast five players with 10 or more assists, led by Lauren Gutierrez with 34. … Daly and Bandel lead the team in steals with 18 each, while Zoe Hansen has amassed a team-best 15 blocked shots. … St. Olaf, which is averaging 55.7 ppg, has outscored its opponents in every quarter but the third—154-152 in the first, 177-156 in the second, and 182-171 in the third. The Oles' opponents hold a 166-155 edge in the game's third 10-minute stanza. … With Wednesday's 66-48 loss to Bethel, the Oles have now been held under 50 points in three of their four losses—the lone exception, a 71-59 setback at the hands of UW-River Falls on Dec. 7.