By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PAUL, 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 Hamline's Hutton Arena for a 3 p.m. matchup with the Pipers.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-5 MIAC, 9-7 Overall) at Hamline Pipers (3-6 MIAC, 4-12 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 17, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) scored 20 points and Abby Winter (Winona, Minn.) chipped in 16, as the Cardinals—sparked by a game-ending 11-0 run—posted a 59-49 MIAC win over Carleton at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Hamline—January 17, 2018 * St. Paul, Minn.: The Pipers collected a school-record 24 steals and forced 33 turnovers in rolling to a 60-44 MIAC win over St. Olaf at Hutton Arena | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Hamline—A Year Ago:
• February 1, 2017 * St. Paul, Minn.: Through the game's opening 20 minutes, Saint Mary's boasted one player—Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.)—who had nearly as many points as the entire Hamline team, as the Cardinals raced to a 38-15 halftime lead. Over the final 20 minutes, the Pipers clamped down on Blattner and did not allow the sophomore to add to her 12-point first-half effort—but they did not have an answer to the trio of Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.), Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.), and Sam Jones (White Bear Lake, Minn.), who combined for 22 of the team's 27 second-half points in leading Saint Mary's to a 65-49 victory at Hutton Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as Saint Mary's travels to St. Olaf's Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn., for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Oles.
• Hamline: The Pipers kick off a three-game road swing on Wednesday, traveling to Saint Benedict's Claire Lynch Hall in St. Joseph, Minn., for a 7 p.m. showdown with the league-leading Blazers.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against Carleton was the second straight home game for the Cardinals, who have now posted five of their nine wins on their home court. … Saint Mary's enters Saturday's game at Hamline having won two straight. The Cardinals snapped a season-high three-game losing streak with last Saturday's 73-45 victory over Macalester. … The Cardinals' 59-49 win over Carleton Wednesday marked just the second time in their last 22 wins that Saint Mary's has not scored 60 or more points—the other exception, a 56-52 win over Macalester on Jan. 4, 2017. … Eleven of Saint Mary's 16 games have been decided by 10 points or less. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) and Abby Winter (Winona, Minn.) each scored in double figures in the Cardinals' win over Carleton Wednesday. Blattner poured in a game-high 20 points, while Winter chipped in 16. … With her 20-point showing against Carleton, Blattner heads into Saturday's contest with Hamline needing just 15 points to become the 11^th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. Blattner is vying to become just the seventh player to record 1,000 career points and 630 rebounds. … Blattner has led the team in scoring in 11 of their 16 games this season, while Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) has been the team's scoring leader four times. … Blattner has scored 10 or more points in 15 of the team's 16 games this season—including seven games of 20 or more points. … Blattner's 15-point, 11-rebound double-double against Saint Benedict on Jan. 6 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. … Winter scored a game- and career-high 25 points against Bethel on Dec. 9. … With her 25-point effort against Bethel, Winter became the only 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 (17.3 ppg) and Huisman (11.9 ppg) enter Saturday's conference game at Hamline averaging in double figures. … Blattner also leads the team in rebounds with 160 (10.0 rpg). … Blattner's 17.3 ppg scoring average and 10.0 rpg average both rank No. 2 in the MIAC. … Saint Mary's boasts five players with 20 or more assists, led by Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn. / 40), Blattner (33), and Schmeling (27). … Blattner holds the team lead in steals with 20, three more than Keefe. … 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 101 3-pointers through 16 games—with 14 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 44 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 Hamline averaging 64.1 ppg, while limiting their opponents to a 61.4 ppg scoring average. … The Cardinals have scored 70 or more points five times this season. Saint Mary's netted a season-high 81 against UM-Morris on Nov. 18. … The Cardinals' 81-point effort against UM-Morris on Nov. 18 was their highest single-game offensive output 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. … Macalester's 45 points in its 73-45 loss to Saint Mary's were the fewest allowed by the Cardinals this season. … 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. … 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 Hamline Pipers:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the Pipers' third straight home game. Hamline is 2-4 at Hutton Arena this season—with both wins coming in the last seven days. … With their wins over St. Catherine and St. Olaf, the Pipers head into Saturday's matchup having won back-to-back games for the first time this season. … Hamline's 64-57 win over St. Catherine last Saturday, snapped the Pipers' season-high eight-game losing streak. … Seven of Hamline's 12 losses this season have been by 10 points or less. … Kaeli Stayer, Alaina Quaranta, and Reilly Geistfeld each scored 11 points to lead the Pipers in Wednesday's win over St. Olaf. … Quaranta has now led or shared the team lead in scoring in each of the Pipers' last five games. … Quaranta heads into Saturday's matchup against Saint Mary's leading the team in scoring with a 12.4 ppg average. Geistfeld is also averaging in double figures at 10.4 ppg. … Geistfeld has hauled in a team-best 104 rebounds (6.5 rpg) and owns a team-leading three double-doubles. … Molly Wampler has dished out a team-high 46 assists and is one of four Pipers with 20 or more helpers through 16 games. … Quaranta boasts a team-leading 38 steals, followed by Geistfeld (26) and Morgen Coleman (25). … As a team, Hamline is shooting 35 percent from the field (343-for-969) and has drained 99 3-pointers. … Four Pipers have knocked down 10 or more 3-pointers this season, led by Quaranta with 32. … The Pipers set a school record with 24 steals against St. Olaf Wednesday. … Hamline heads into Saturday's matchup against Saint Mary's averaging 58.4 ppg, while the Pipers opponents are scoring at a 64.3 ppg clip. … Hamline has netted 70 or more points once this season, beating North Central 76-41 on Nov. 18. On the flip side, the Pipers have surrendered 70 or more points seven times—including 82 in an 82-50 loss to Gustavus on Dec. 9.