WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team returns home on Saturday, as the Cardinals host Concordia in a 1 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-0 MIAC, 5-1 Overall) vs. Concordia Cobbers (0-1 MIAC, 3-4 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | Video Preview | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—November 30, 2016 * Northfield, Minn.: The Cardinals got a pair of buzzer-beaters—the first from Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) to force overtime and the second by Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) with less than one second remaining in overtime—to beat Carleton 61-60 in the teams' conference opener at West Gym | Recap
• Concordia—November 30, 2016 * St. Peter, Minn.: The Cobbers were outscored 23-9 in the first quarter and never recovered, falling to Gustavus 88-52 in the conference opener for both teams at Gus Young Court | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia—A Year Ago:
• January 13, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: Fueled by the offensive efforts of Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) and Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.), the Cardinals ran their MIAC-leading record to 7-0, outlasting the Cobbers 61-55 at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are right back on their home court on Wednesday, entertaining Bethel in a 7 p.m. conference matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• Concordia: The Cobbers step out of conference play on Monday, traveling to Valley City State for a 7 p.m. nonconference contest.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• After back-to-back road games, Saturday's showdown with Concordia marks the first of seven straight home games for the Cardinals, who are 47-5 on their home court over the past five seasons. … With their 61-60 win over Carleton on Wednesday, the Cardinals pushed their winning streak to four straight. … Wednesday's win over Carleton was Saint Mary's first overtime game of the season—and first since a 79-73 win over Concordia on Feb. 7, 2015. … Saint Mary's has now won its last four overtime games. The last Cardinal loss in OT was against Concordia on Jan. 29, 2012, falling 60-59. … Saint Mary's posted four players scoring in double figures against Carleton Wednesday. Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) poured in a game-high 23 points, while Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) chipped in 13 points, and Sam Jones (White Bear Lake, Minn.) and Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn.) added 11 and 10 points, respectively. … Blattner's 23 points were an individual  and team season-high—and marked the first time a Cardinal has scored more than 20 points in a game this season. … Blattner and Keefe also added 17 and 11 rebounds, respectively. It was Blattner's second straight double-double and third of the season, while Keefe's 10-point, 11-rebound effort was her first collegiate double-double. … Blattner now owns 12 career double-doubles. … Blattner's 17 rebounds were two shy of her school-record 19-rebound effort against UW-Eau Claire on Dec. 29, 2015. … Blattner and Schaefer have now scored in double figures in all six of the Cardinals' games this season. … Blattner has led the team in scoring in back-to-back games. Blattner, Schaefer, and Jones have all led the team in scoring twice in Saint Mary's first six games. … 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. … Blattner heads into the Cardinals' conference showdown with Concordia on Saturday averaging a team-best 14.8 ppg. Jones (13.7 ppg) and Schaefer (12.2 ppg) are also averaging in double figures through six games. … Blattner owns a team-leading 50 rebounds (10.5 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 26 treys in six 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 on Nov. 22. … 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 also had five players score in double figures once a year ago. … Saint Mary's is averaging 65.5 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 four of their five wins this season, have outscored their first six opponents 106-77 in the second quarter, 104-82 in the third, and 99-88 in the fourth. The Cardinals have been outscored 91-79 in the game's opening 10 minutes. … 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 Concordia Cobbers:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the fourth of five straight road games for the Cobbers, who have played five of their first seven games away from Memorial Auditorium. … Gustavus' 88 points in Wednesday's 88-62 win over Concordia were the most points allowed by the Cobbers this season. … CC has scored 60 or more points in two of its three wins, but has failed to reach the 60-point plateau in any of its four losses. … Wednesday's loss to Gustavus was Concordia's second straight, after opening the season with wins in three of its first five games. … Jenna Januschka scored a team-high 17 points and Greta Walsh added 12 for the Cobbers against Gustavus Wednesday. … Januschka has now led the team in scoring in back-to-back games, after Walsh had led the Cobbers in each of their first five contests. … Walsh owns the team's top two single-game offensive performances, scoring 24 points against Jamestown on Nov. 17, and 20 vs. University of the Ozarks on Nov. 25. … Walsh heads into Saturday's showdown against Saint Mary's averaging a team-best 15.7 ppg, with Januschka close behind at 13.0 ppg. … Januschka is also the team's rebounding leader with 43 (6.1 rpg), while Walsh and Cassidy Rahman share the team lead in assists with 10. … Walsh has the team lead in steals with nine, one more than Januschka, while Crystal Amundson has accounted for five of the team's 12 blocks. … CC is shooting 37 percent from the field (127-for-339), including a 26-for-99 showing from behind the 3-point line. … Walsh owns a team-leading nine 3-pointers, with Lincoln Haiby adding six, and Rahman five. … The Cobbers have outscored their opponents in both the second (113-92) and fourth quarters (116-104), and have been outscored in the first (101-74) and third (126-83).