By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team is back in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain Augsburg in a 3 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (6-5 MIAC, 11-7 Overall) vs. Augsburg Auggies (6-5 MIAC, 10-7 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 24, 2018 * Northfield, Minn.: Saint Mary's outscored St. Olaf 38-20 in the middle two quarters in rolling to a 68-55 MIAC win over the Oles at Skoglund Center | Recap
• Augsburg—January 24, 2018 * Northfield, Minn.: The Auggies outscored Carleton 48-36 in the second half, erasing a eight-point first-half deficit and earning a 72-68 MIAC win over the Knights at West Gym | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Augsburg—Earlier This Year:
• December 2, 2017 * Minneapolis, Minn.: Augsburg scored the game's first seven points, and the Auggies held off every Saint Mary's comeback attempt in dealing Saint Mary's a 69-59 setback in the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener at Si Melby Hall | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Augsburg—A Year Ago:
• January 11, 2017 * Minneapolis, Minn.: Saint Mary's started fast—and finished faster—Wednesday evening in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Augsburg. The start: The Cardinals scored the game's first six points, and 11 of the opening 13. The finish: The Cardinals netted 15 of the game's final 20 points—including 4 of 8 free throws in the final minute. Thanks to that start-finish one-two punch, the Cardinals pushed their winning streak to five straight with an 81-79 conference win over the Auggies at Si Melby Hall | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as Saint Mary's entertains St. Catherine in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• Augsburg: The Auggies return to their home court at Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, entertaining Hamline in a 7 p.m. conference contest.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against St. Olaf was the second straight road game for the Cardinals, who are 6-5 away from the Saint Mary's Gym this season. … With their 68-55 win over St. Olaf on Wednesday, the Cardinals pushed their winning streak to a season-high four in a row. … The Cardinals have won their last four contests by 10 points or more. … 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 on Jan. 17 marked just the second time in their last 23 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. … Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) and Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) each scored 16 points, while Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) chipped in a career-high 14 against St. Olaf Wednesday. … Huisman 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. … Blattner's 3-pointer with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter against Hamline last Saturday 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—who enters Saturday's game vs. Augsburg with 1,020 career points and 652 career rebounds—is just the sixth player in Cardinal history to record 1,000 career points and 650 career rebounds. … Blattner has led or shared the team lead in scoring in 12 of their 18 games this season, while Huisman has been the team's scoring leader six times. … Blattner has scored 10 or more points in 17 of the team's 18 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. … 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 Abby Winter (Winona, Minn.). … Saint Mary's boasts four players who have recorded single-game career highs of 10 or more points this season—Winter (25), Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis. / 15), Vesel (14), 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 (13.3 ppg) enter Saturday's conference game against Augsburg averaging in double figures. … Blattner also leads the team in rebounds with 173 (9.6 rpg). … Blattner's 17.3 ppg scoring average and 9.3 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. / 45), Schmeling (38), and Blattner (36). … Schmeling recorded a single-game team-, season-, and career-high eight assists vs. St. Olaf on Wednesday. … Blattner holds the team lead in steals with 23, 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 124 3-pointers through 18 games—with 15 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 55 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 Augsburg averaging 65.2 ppg, while limiting their opponents to a 61.4 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 Augsburg Auggies:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the third straight road games for the Auggies, who have notched six of their 10 wins this season away from Si Melby Hall. … With their 72-68 win over Carleton Wednesday, the Auggies head into their showdown with Saint Mary's having won back-to-back games—with both contests decided by seven points or less. … Last Saturday's 80-73 win over Macalester snapped Augsburg's season-high three-game losing streak. … Camryn Speese and Tamira McLemore each scored 14 points to pace the Auggies against Carleton Wednesday. K'Aezha Wubben and Arianna Jones also scored in double figures against the Knights, tallying 10 points each. … The Auggies head to the Saint Mary's Gym Saturday boasting three players—McLemore (12.2 ppg), Wubben (10.8 ppg), and Speese (10.2 ppg)—averaging in double figures. … The Auggies have had a player score 20 or more points in a game three times this season. McLemore owns the team's top two offensive performances—24 points against Occidental on Nov. 25 and 23 points against Carleton on Dec. 13, while Speese posted a 20-point effort against Macalester on Jan. 20. … Speese is the team's rebounding leader with 81 (5.4 rpg), seven more than McLemore (74, 4.6 rpg). … Augsburg has four players who have recorded 20 or more assists, led by McLemore (49) and Jones (48), while McLemore also leads the team in steals (40) and blocked shots (13). … Augsburg is shooting 39.7 percent from the field (406-for-1023) and has knocked down 118 3-pointers, led by Aiza Wilson (32), Jones (27), and McLemore (25). … As a team, the Auggies are averaging 66.4 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at a 65.4 ppg clip. … Augsburg has scored 80 or more points three times this season, including a season-best 84-point showing in beating Carleton 84-80 on Dec. 13. … The Auggies have played one overtime game this season, beating Macalester 80-73 on Jan. 20.