WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain Macalester in a 3 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-5 MIAC, 7-7 Overall) vs. Macalester Scots (2-5 MIAC, 5-8 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 10, 2018 * St. Peter, Minn.: The Cardinals managed just 15 first-half points and never recovered in dropping a 65-38 conference decision to No. 20 Gustavus at Gus Young Court | Recap
• Macalester—January 10, 2018 * Northfield, Minn.: St. Olaf outscored the Scots 27-19 in the second half and scored in the final seconds of overtime in dealing Macalester a 60-59 conference setback at Skoglund Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Macalester—A Year Ago:
• January 4, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals managed just 56 points—and shot a meager 33 percent from the field—against Macalester. But, thanks to three players scoring in double figures, a game-high 16 rebounds from Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.), and a tenacious defense, 56 points and 33 percent shooting suited the Cardinals just fine, as Saint Mary's dropped the visiting Scots 56-52 at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as Saint Mary's return to the Saint Mary's Gym for a 7 p.m. matchup against Carleton.
• Macalester: The Scots are back in action on Monday, stepping out of MIAC play for a 7 p.m. nonconference matchup against Martin Luther at Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
• Wednesday's game at Gustavus was 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.) scored nine points and added nine rebounds in the Cardinals' setback against No. 20 Gustavus on Wednesday. … Blattner has now led the team in scoring in each of the Cardinals' last four games, and 10 times this season. … Wednesday's nine-point showing marked the first time this season Blattner has been held under 10 points in a game this season. … Blattner's 15-point, 11-rebound double-double against Saint Benedict last Saturday was her eighth of the season—and 26^th of her three-year collegiate career. … Blattner has 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.) 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 (17.1 ppg) and Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn. / 12.1 ppg) enter Saturday's conference game against Macalester averaging in double figures. … Blattner also leads the team in rebounds with 143 (10.2 rpg). … Blattner's 10.2 rpg leads the entire MIAC, while her 17.1 ppg scoring average is third. … Saint Mary's boasts nine players with 10 or more assists, led by Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn. / 34), Blattner (30), and Schmeling (25). … 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 93 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 40 treys. … Saint Mary's had six different players net a 3-pointer against UM-Morris on Nov. 18. … The Cardinals enter Saturday's game against Macalester averaging 63.9 ppg, while limiting their opponents to a 63.5 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 Macalester Scots:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Saturday's game at Saint Mary's is the second straight road contest for the Scots, who are 2-4 away from Leonard Center this season. … Despite Wednesday's loss to St. Olaf, Macalester enters Saturday's game having won three of its last five. … Macalester has not won back-to-back games this season, while on the flip side, the Scots have suffered through a two- and three-game losing streak. … Regan Fruh and Leah Gray each scored 11 points to pace the Scots against St. Olaf Saturday. … Fruh enters Saturday's game at Saint Mary's averaging a team-best 14.2 ppg, while Vivi Gregorich is also averaging in double figures at 10.0 ppg. … The Scots have had a player score 20 or more points four times—twice by both Fruh and Gregorich. Fruh netted a season-high 27 points against Luther on Nov. 15 and added a 26-point showing against Concordia  on Dec. 2, while Gregorich poured in 22 points against Bethany Lutheran on Dec. 30 and 20 points against Crown on Nov. 21. … Along with her 11 points against Macalester, Fruh also hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds en route to her third double-double. … Fruh, who lead the team with 98 rebounds (7.5 rpg) has now recorded a season-high 11 rebounds three times this season—having also achieved the feat against Northwestern and St. Catherine. … Macalester boasts six players with 10 or more assists, led by Tyana Loiselle (46) and Justine Barraza (20), while Fruh is the team's steals leader with 24. … The Scots are shooting 38 percent from the field (285-for-755) and have drained 68 3-pointers. … Gregorich (17), Barraza (16), and Leah Gray (15) have accounted for 48 of the team's 68 3-pointers. … Macalester is averaging 60.8 ppg, while its opponents are scoring at a 66.5 ppg clip. … Macalester has scored 70 or more points twice this season, including a season-high 78 points in a 78-75 win over Bethany Lutheran. On the flip side, the Scots have allowed their opponent to score 80 or more points on two occasions—including surrendering 95 points in falling to St. Thomas 95-37.