NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team kicks off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, traveling to Carleton's West Gym for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Knights.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0 MIAC, 3-1 Overall) at Carleton Knights (0-0 MIAC, 1-2 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—November 26, 2016 * Duluth, Minn.: The Cardinals trailed 10-0 and 12-2 early in the first quarter, were staring at a four-point, 32-28 deficit at the half, and did not take their first lead until Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn.) drained a pair of free throws with 5:22 remaining in the third quarter. Over the game's final 15 minutes, however, the Cardinals displayed their lethal finishing kick, outscoring St. Scholastica 35-22 to seal the 71-57 nonconference win at Reif Gym | Recap
• Carleton—November 26, 2016 * Claremont, Calif.: Cece Leone poured in a career-best 21 points—including a dagger 3-pointer in the final minute—to lead Carleton to a 76-68 nonconference victory over Pomona-Pitzer on the final day of action at the David Wells Classic | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Carleton—A Year Ago:
• 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 85-47 conference victory over the Knights at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• January 30, 2016 * Northfield, Minn.: Saint Mary's needed every bit of a game-ending 8-2 run to hold off upset-minded Carleton 65-59 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the Knights' West Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return home to the Saint Mary's Gym on Saturday, as they entertain Concordia in a 1 p.m. conference contest.
• Carleton: The Knights hit the road on Saturday, traveling to St. Joseph, Minn., for a 3 p.m. MIAC matchup against Saint Benedict.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against Carleton is the second of back-to-back road games for the Cardinals, who play four of their first six games on the road—before embarking on a stretch of seven straight home contests, beginning on Saturday against Concordia and ending with a Jan. 7 showdown with St. Catherine. … The Cardinals' 71-57 win over St. Scholastica last Saturday pushed their winning streak to three. … For the second game in a row, the Cardinals boasted three players scoring in double figures against St. Scholastica last Saturday. Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) led the way, scoring a game-high 17 points, one more than teammate Sam Jones (White Bear Lake, Minn.), while Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) chipped in 13 points. … Blattner and Schaefer have now scored in double figures in all five of the Cardinals' games this season. … Blattner became the third different player to lead the team in scoring through five games. … Along with her 17 points, Blattner also hauled in a team- and game-high 15 rebounds against St. Scholastica. … The 17-point, 15-rebound effort was Blattner's second double-double of the season and 11^th of her collegiate career. Blattner posted her first double-double of the year against Martin Luther on Nov. 20, scoring 13 points and adding 10 rebounds. … Jones equaled her single-game career high with 16 points against the University of Dubuque on Nov. 15, before pouring in a new career-high 21 points against Martin Luther a day later. … Jones heads into the Cardinals' conference-opening game at Carleton on Wednesday averaging a team-best 14.2 ppg. Blattner (13.2 ppg) and Schaefer (12.0 ppg) are also averaging in double figures through five games. … Blattner owns a team-leading 46 rebounds (9.2 rpg). … Jones hauled in a career-best eight rebounds against St. Scholastica last Saturday. … The Cardinals, who made 163 3-pointers last season, have drained 22 treys in five games this season—including a 10-for-24 showing against the University of Dubuque on Nov. 15. … Schaefer and Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) lead the team with six 3-pointers each. … The Cardinals had 10 players score two or more points in their 66-40 win over Viterbo last Tuesday. … The Cardinals boasted five players who scored in double figures in their season-opening win over the University of Dubuque on Nov. 15—led by Jones with a game-high 16 points. Huisman (13), Blattner (12), Brittney Flom (Kenyon, Minn. / 11), and Schaefer (10) were the other four. Saint Mary's had five players score in double figures once a year ago. … Saint Mary's is averaging 66.4 ppg—including a season-high 76-point effort in its season-opening 76-64 win over the University of Dubuque. … The Cardinals, who have scored 65 or more points in all four wins this season, have outscored their first five opponents 95-68 in the second quarter, 85-62 in the third, and 83-71 in the fourth. The Cardinals have been outscored 81-69 in the game's opening 10 minutes. … With their 66-40 win over Viterbo last Tuesday, the Cardinals improved to 47-5 on their home court over the past five seasons. … With their 76-64 win over the University of Dubuque on Nov. 15, the Cardinals have now won their season-opener in each of the last four seasons—dating back to a 63-58 loss to Elmhurst to kick off the 2011-12 season. … Saint Mary's—picked to finish third in the MIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll—made its fifth straight MIAC Playoff appearance last season—and the Cardinals have reached at least the semifinals each time. … With their 21-6 overall record last season, the Cardinals have now reached the 20-win plateau in three of the last four seasons.
 
Scouting The Carleton Knights:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is just the second home game of the season for the Knights, who play four of their first six games away from West Gym. … Carleton's 76-68 win over Pomona-Pitzer last Saturday snapped the Knights' season-opening two-game losing streak. … Cece Leone led a trio of Knights in double figures in their win over Pomona-Pitzer last Saturday, scoring 21 points, with Sarah Waldfogel and Samantha Cooke chipping in 16 and 10 points, respectively. … Leone's 21 points were a career high. … Erica Ellefson hauled in a team-best 11 rebounds against Pomona-Pitzer last Saturday. … Leone and Waldfogel head into Wednesday's conference opener against Saint Mary's averaging in double figures. Leone is scoring at a 12.7 ppg clip, with Waldfogel close behind at 11.7 ppg. … Carleton boasts four players with 10 or more rebounds, led by Ellefson (7.0 rpg) with 21 and Waldfogel (6.3 rpg) with 19. … Carleton has netted just 10 3-pointers through their first three games, led by Katie Chavez with three, and Caroline Hulls, Maddie Talamantes, and Waldfogel with two each. … The Knights are averaging 57.0 ppg, including a season-high 76-point effort in their 76-68 win over Pomona-Pitzer last Saturday. Carleton's opponents, meanwhile, are averaging 68.0 ppg through three games.