By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
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 Saint Benedict in a 3 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-3 MIAC, 7-5 Overall) vs. Saint Benedict Blazers (5-0 MIAC, 11-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 3, 2018 * St. Paul.: The Cardinals got 22 points and 15 rebounds from Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.), but they could not overcome a 3-for-25 showing from behind the 3-point line, as St. Catherine dealt Saint Mary's a 63-59 MIAC setback at Butler Center Gym | Recap
• Saint Benedict—January 3, 2018 * Moorhead, Minn.: Niki Fokken registered her second double-double of the season to lead the Blazers to a convincing 66-47 win over Concordia at Memorial Auditorium | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Saint Benedict—A Year Ago:
• January 14, 2017 * St. Joseph, Minn.: Saint Benedict, which managed just four third-quarter points, outscored the Cardinals 16-11 in the game's final 10 minutes, as the Blazers dealt Saint Mary's a 47-45 conference setback at Claire Lynch Hall | Recap
• February 18, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's entered its rematch with CSB needing a win to earn the sixth and final ticket to the conference's big dance. A loss, and they would be left on the outside looking in. The Cardinals kept their playoff hopes alive—getting a 3-point bank-shot by Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) with 6.2 seconds remaining to pull Saint Mary's even, 52-52 and force an extra five-minute session. In that overtime, however, Saint Benedict outscored the Cardinals 8-3, including a 5 of 6 showing from the free throw line, to seal the 60-55 overtime win | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as Saint Mary's heads to Gustavus' Gus Young Court for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Gusties
• Saint Benedict: The Blazers are back in conference action on Wednesday, returning home to Claire Lynch Hall in St. Joseph, Minn., for a 7 p.m. showdown against St. Catherine.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
• Wednesday's 63-59 loss to St. Catherine snapped the Cardinals' two-game winning streak. Saint Mary's enters Saturday's game against Saint Benedict having not dropped back-to-back games all season. … Seven of the Cardinals' 11 games—including four of their seven wins—have been 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 22 points to lead a trio of Cardinals in double figures in Wednesday's 63-59 loss to St. Catherine. Abby Winter (Winona, Minn.) chipped in 13 points and Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) added 12. … Blattner has now scored 10 or more points in all 12 of Saint Mary's games this season. … Blattner also led the Cardinals with 15 rebounds vs. St. Catherine Wednesday—equaling her season high. It was the junior's team-leading seventh double-double of the season. … Blattner—who has recorded 10 or more rebounds 32 times as a Cardinal—has amassed 25 double-doubles in her three-year collegiate career. … 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—who was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field en route to her 13-point showing against St. Catherine 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 (18.0 ppg) and Huisman (12.5 ppg) enter Saturday's conference game against Saint Benedict averaging in double figures. … Blattner also leads the team in rebounds with 123 (10.3 rpg). … Saint Mary's boasts nine players with 10 or more assists, led by Keefe (31), Blattner (29), and Schmeling (22). … Blattner and Keefe hold the team lead in steals with 14 each. … … 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 85 3-pointers through 12 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 36 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 Saint Benedict averaging 66.8 ppg, while limiting their opponents to a 63.7 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 was 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 Saint Benedict Blazers:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the fourth straight road game for the Blazers, who are a perfect 5-0 away from Claire Lynch Hall this season. … With their 66-47 win over Concordia, Saint Benedict pushed their winning streak to a season-high six straight. … CSB's lone loss this season was a 48-40 setback against UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 29. …  Niki Fokken was the only Blazer to score in double figures against Concordia Wednesday, pouring in 13 points. … Fokken also delivered 13 rebounds in posting her second double-double of the season. … Fokken has now led the team in scoring a team-best five times—including a season-high 28-point effort against Macalester on Dec. 6. … Fokken's 28 points against Macalester on Dec. 6 mark the only time this season CSB has had a player eclipse the 20-point mark this season. … Fokken enters Saturday's game at Saint Mary's averaging a team-leading 13.1 ppg. … Chelsey Guetter is the team's rebounding leader with 83 (6.9 rpg), while Fokken is second with 71 boards (6.5 rpg). … Saint Benedict boasts eight players with 10 or more assists, led by Guetter with 27. … Courtney Nelson has recorded a team-high 17 steals, two more than Guetter and Kate Banovetz, while Fokken owns a team-best 18 blocks. … The Blazers are shooting 39 percent from the field (268-for-680) through 12 games and have knocked down 66 3-pointers. … Sidney Schiffler and Haylee Fingalsen led the team in 3-pointers with 16 and 13, respectively. … As a team, CSB is averaging 63.0 ppg, while limiting its opponents to just 51.2 ppg. … Saint Benedict has scored 70 or more points three times this season—netting 73 points against both Hamline and Buena Vista, while scoring a season-high 81 in an 81-48 rout of St. Scholastica on Dec. 30. On the flip side, the Blazers have not allowed a team to score more than 63 points in a game this season.