By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
NORTHFIELD, 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 St. Olaf's Skoglund Center for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Oles.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (5-5 MIAC, 10-7 Overall) at St. Olaf Oles (1-9 MIAC, 3-14 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 20, 2018 * St. Paul, Minn.: Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) scored a career-high 32 points and Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) netted 19—becoming the 11^th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points—as the Cardinals rolled to an 80-68 MIAC win over Hamline at Hutton Arena | Recap
• St. Olaf—January 20, 2018 * Northfield, Minn.: Concordia scored more points in the first quarter (17) than the Oles did in the first half (14), as the Cobbers rolled to a 65-46 MIAC win over St. Olaf at Skoglund Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Olaf—Earlier This Year:
• December 12, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) and Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.), who had just six points between them in the first half, combined for an impressive 26 second-half points, carrying the Cardinals past the Oles, 61-55, at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap


Saint Mary's vs. St. Olaf—A Year Ago:
• February 4, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) erupted for 16 second-half points to finish with a game-high 28 in the Cardinals' conference showdown with St. Olaf at the Saint Mary's Gym. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Blattner's effort was not enough, as St. Olaf closed the game on a 10-2 run in handing Saint Mary's a 60-57 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in action on Saturday, as Saint Mary's returns home to the Saint Mary's Gym for a 3 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown vs. Augsburg.
• St. Olaf: The Oles are back on their home court at Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn., on Saturday, entertaining Gustavus in a 3 p.m. conference matchup.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against St. Olaf is the second straight road game for the Cardinals, who are 5-5 away from the Saint Mary's Gym this season. … With their 80-68 win over Hamline last Saturday, the Cardinals have now won three straight. The Cardinals snapped a season-high three-game losing streak with a 73-45 victory over Macalester on Jan. 13. … Saint Mary's 80 points in last Saturday's 80-68 win over Hamline were one point shy of their season-high—the Cardinals 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. … The Cardinals' 59-49 win over Carleton last 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 17 games have been decided by 10 points or less. … Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) scored a career-high 32 points—12 more than her previous career high—against Hamline last Saturday. … Huisman's 32 points were the most since Bridget Pethke poured in 32 against St. Olaf on Jan. 29, 2014. … Along with her 32 points, Huisman also hauled in a career-best 10 rebounds en route to the first double-double of her collegiate career. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) also scored in double figures vs. the Pipers last Saturday, finishing with 19. … Blattner's 3-pointer with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter gave the Cardinal junior her 1,000^th career point. Blattner is the 11^th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark. … Blattner is just the seventh player in Cardinal history to record 1,000 career points and 630 career rebounds. … Blattner has led the team in scoring in 11 of their 17 games this season, while Huisman has been the team's scoring leader five times. … Blattner has scored 10 or more points in 16 of the team's 17 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. … Abby Winter (Winona, Minn.) scored a game- and career-high 25 points against Bethel on Dec. 9. … The Cardinals have had a player score 20 or more points nine times this season—seven times by Blattner, and once each by Huisman and Winter (1). … 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 (17.4 ppg) and Huisman (13.1 ppg) enter Wednesday's conference game at St. Olaf averaging in double figures. … Blattner also leads the team in rebounds with 167 (9.8 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. / 44), Blattner (35), and Schmeling (30). … Blattner holds the team lead in steals with 20, two more than Keefe and Huisman. … 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 112 3-pointers through 17 games—with 14 different players knocking down at least one. … Huisman—who notched a single-game season- and career-high seven 3-pointers against Hamline last Saturday—leads the Cardinals with 51 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 St. Olaf averaging 65.1 ppg, while limiting their opponents to a 61.8 ppg scoring average. … Macalester's 45 points in its 73-45 loss to Saint Mary's on Jan 13 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 St. Olaf Oles:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of three straight home games for the Oles, who have played just five of their first 17 games on their home court. St. Olaf is 1-4 at Skoglund Center, while going 2-12 on the road. … Last Saturday's 65-46 loss to Concordia was the Oles' third straight setback. … St. Olaf has not won back-to-back games all season, while suffering through losing streaks of three, four, and seven games. … The Oles' 60-59 win over Macalester on Jan. 10 snapped their season-high seven-game losing streak. … All three of St. Olaf's wins have been by eight points of less—the Oles have beaten Martin Luther (57-51), Crown (58-50), and Macalester (60-59). … Samantha Tisa, Britta Koenen, and Brooke Sulski all scored 10 points to lead the Oles in scoring in their loss to Concordia last Saturday. It was the second straight game in which a trio of players led St. Olaf in scoring—Tisa, Koenen, and Allyson Fuller all netted nine points against Hamline on Jan. … Makena Ash enters Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's owning a team-leading 10.9 ppg scoring average, with Tisa second at 8.9 ppg. … The Oles have had a player score 15 points or more in a game seven times—including a season-high 20-point showing by Tisa against Macalester on Jan. 10. … St. Olaf boasts two players—Ash (130, 9.3 rpg) and Tisa (104, 6.1 rpg)—with 100 or more rebounds this season. … St. Olaf has seven players with 10 or more assists this season—led by Keegan Mulvihill (37) and Tisa (27). … Mulvihill is also the team-leader in steals with 39, while Ash (18) and Koenen (12) have accounted for 30 of the team's 51 blocks. … The Oles are shooting 34.9 percent from the field (306-for-879) and have drained 65 3-pointers through 17 games. … Allyson Fuller owns a team-best 22 3-pointers. … The Oles are averaging 49.1 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at a 65.5 ppg clip. … St. Olaf has scored 60 or more points just twice through 17 games, netting 60 in a 60-59 win over Macalester on Jan. 10, while tallying a season-best 63 points in a 69-63 loss to St. Scholastica on Nov. 15. … St. Olaf has played one overtime game this season, outscoring Macalester 8-7 in the extra period to beat the Scots 60-59 on Jan. 10.