By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director

ST. PETER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as the Cardinals head to Gustavus' Gus Young Court for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Gusties.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-4 MIAC, 7-6 Overall) at #20 Gustavus Gusties 5-1 MIAC, 11-2 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 6, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Benedict used an 8-0, fourth-quarter run to pull away and deal the Cardinals a 60-55 conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Gustavus—January 6, 2018 * St. Peter, Minn.: The Gusties picked up their third straight win, rolling to an 84-47 MIAC victory over Concordia at Gus Young Court | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus—A Year Ago:
• December 10, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: Three days after falling to league-leading Bethel, the Cardinals were back on their home court, this time squaring off against Gustavus, a team that was riding a season-opening eight-game winning streak—with all eight wins by double figures, including six victories by 20 or more points. There would be no ninth straight double-figure win. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, there would be a ninth consecutive win, however, as the Gusties used a 10-7 run over the game's final 10 minutes in dealing Saint Mary's a 49-45 conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• January 28, 2017 * St. Peter, Minn.: The Cardinals and Gusties were back for Round 2, and one thing was unchanged—the Gusties had still not been beaten, taking an 18-game season-opening winning streak into the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rematch. And, unfortunately for coach Brent Pollari, his Cardinals did not fare any better this time around, as Gustavus made Saint Mary's its 19^th straight victim with a 71-44 victory at Gus Young Court | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as Saint Mary's entertains Macalester in a 3 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• Gustavus: The Gusties take to the road on Saturday, heading to Bethel's Robertson Center for a 3 p.m. conference showdown against the Royals.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
• Wednesday's game at Gustavus is the third road game in the last four contests for the Cardinals. … The Cardinals' 60-55 loss to Saint Benedict last Saturday was their eighth game decided by seven points or less. … The Cardinals have scored 60 or more points in 19 of their last 20 wins—the lone exception, a 56-52 win over Macalester on Jan. 4, 2017. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.)—coming off a 22-point, 15-rebound effort against St. Catherine last Wednesday—scored 15 points and hauled in 11 rebounds against Saint Benedict on Saturday. … Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) also scored in double figures vs. the Blazers Saturday, finishing with 13 points. … Blattner has now scored 10 or more points in all 13 of Saint Mary's games this season. … Blattner's 15-point, 11-rebound double-double against Saint Benedict was her eighth of the season—and 26^th of her three-year collegiate career. … Blattner has now recorded 10 or more rebounds eight times this season and 33 times as a Cardinal. … Blattner poured in a season-high 27 points in the Cardinals' 69-59 loss to Augsburg on Dec. 2. The 27-point effort was just one shy of her single-game career high—28-point showings against both Bethel and St. Olaf last season. … Huisman equaled her season high with a team- and game-high 19 points against St. Olaf on Dec. 12. … Huisman's 19-point effort was one shy of her career best. … Abby Winter (Winona, Minn.)—who was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field en route to her 13-point showing against St. Catherine last Wednesday—scored a game- and career-high 25 points against Bethel on Dec. 9. … With her 25-point effort against Bethel, Winter became the first Cardinal besides Blattner to score 20 or more points this season. … Saint Mary's boasts three players who have recorded single-game career highs of 10 or more points this season—Winter (25), Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis. / 15), and Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn. / 10). … Kedl recorded a career-best 10 rebounds against Augsburg on Dec. 2. She is the second Cardinal freshman to post 10 or more boards in a game this season—Winter recorded an 11-rebound effort in Saint Mary's season-opening win over Martin Luther on Nov. 15. … The Cardinals put a season-high five players in double figures in their 74-70 win over the University of Dubuque on Nov. 21. … Blattner (17.8 ppg) and Huisman (12.5 ppg) enter Wednesday's conference game against Gustavus averaging in double figures. … Blattner also leads the team in rebounds with 134 (10.3 rpg). … Blattner's 10.3 rpg leads the entire MIAC, while her 17.8 ppg scoring average is tied for second. … Saint Mary's boasts nine players with 10 or more assists, led by Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn. / 33), Blattner (30), and Schmeling (23). … Keefe holds the team lead in steals with 15, one more than Blattner. … The Cardinals, who finished with 141 3-pointers a year ago, knocked down a season-best 13 treys against UM-Morris on Nov. 18. … The Cardinals' 13 3-pointers vs. UM-Morris on Nov. 18 are the most since raining in 14 against St. Catherine on Jan. 22, 2005. … Saint Mary's has drained 90 3-pointers through 13 games—with 12 different players knocking down at least one. … Huisman—who equaled her season high with six 3-pointers against St. Olaf on Dec. 12—leads the Cardinals with 39 treys. … Saint Mary's had six different players net a 3-pointer against UM-Morris on Nov. 18. … The Cardinals enter Wednesday's game against Gustavus averaging 65.8 ppg, while limiting their opponents to a 63.4 ppg scoring average. … Saint Mary's one-point victory over Martin Luther on Nov. 15 was its second one-point win in the last two years—with both being decided by a 61-60 final score. The Cardinals dropped Carleton 61-60 in overtime last season. … The Cardinals' 81-point effort against UM-Morris on Nov. 18 is a season-high, and the most since scoring 81 in an 81-79 win over Augsburg on Jan. 11, 2017. The last time Saint Mary's scored more than 81 points was during the 2015-16 season, when the Cardinals scored 85 in beating St. Olaf 85-56 on Feb. 13, 2016. … With their 61-60 win over Martin Luther on Nov. 15, the Cardinals have now won their season-opener in each of their last six seasons, dating back to a 63-58 loss to Elmhurst on Nov. 22, 2011.
 
Scouting The Gustavus Gusties:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Gustavus heads into Wednesday's showdown with Saint Mary's ranked No. 20 in both the WBCA Division III and the D3hoops.com Top 25. … Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the second straight home game for the Gusties, who are 7-1 at Gus Young Court this season. … With their lopsided 84-47 rout of Concordia last Saturday, the Gusties pushed their winning streak to three straight. … Gustavus had its season-opening seven-game winning streak snapped with a 74-66 loss to St. Thomas on Dec. 13. … Both of GAC's losses this season have been by eight points. Along with their 74-66 loss to St. Thomas, the Gusties also dropped a 68-60 decision to UW-Whitewater on Dec. 29. … Gustavus put three players in double figures in its win over Concordia last Saturday, led by Miranda Rice with 21 points. Mikayla Miller chipped in 12 points and Kendall Thompson added 11 vs. the Cobbers. … The Gusties enter Wednesday's MIAC matchup vs. Saint Mary's boasting three players—Rice (16.8 ppg), Miller (16.1 ppg), and Thompson (10.2 ppg)—averaging in double figured. … Rice or Miller has led the team in scoring in all 13 games this season. Rice has accomplished the feat seven times—including both of the last two games—while Miller has been the team-leader six times. … Thompson owns the team's lone double-double this season, scoring 11 points and adding 11 rebounds against St. Thomas on Dec. 13. … Rice also leads the team in rebounds with 74 (5.7 rpg), with Thompson second with 63 boards (4.8 rpg). … GAC has seven players with 20 or more assists, led by Miller (34) and Brooke Lemke (30). … Miller also owns a team-leading 31 steals, while Rice is the team-leader with six blocks. … Gustavus is shooting 46 percent from the field (360-for-787) and has knocked down 64 3-pointers. … Taylor Anderson has drained a team-best 20 3-points, with Miller (16) and Thompson (11) also hitting 10 or more treys. … Gustavus, which is averaging 75.8 ppg, has scored 80 or more points in a game four times—including a season-high 88-point effort in beating St. Olaf 88-47 on Dec. 2. … Nine of Gustavus' 11 wins have been by 20 points or more.