By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team kicks off conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals head to Carleton's West Gym for a 1 p.m. matchup against the Knights
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0 MIAC, 3-2 Overall) at Carleton Knights (0-0 MIAC, 3-3 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—November 29, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals could not find their shooting touch against unbeaten UW-Oshkosh, as the Titans handed Saint Mary's a 61-36 nonconference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Carleton—November 28, 2018 * Northfield, Minn.: The Knights rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half, but Bethany Lutheran used a game-ending 14-4 run over the final five minutes to deal Carleton a 69-64 nonconference setback at West Gym | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Carleton — A Year Ago:
• December 6, 2017 * Northfield, Minn.: Despite giving up the game's first five points, the Cardinals battled Carleton right down to the wire, scoring the game's final eight points in dealing the Knights a 71-64 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at West Gym | Recap
• January 17, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn.) scored seven of her nine points in the game's final four minutes, as the Cardinals scored the game's final 11 points — erasing a one-point, 49-48 Carleton lead and leading Saint Mary's to a 59-49 win, and a sweep of the teams' two conference meetings this season | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in conference play on Wednesday, entertaining Concordia in a 5 p.m. conference matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• Carleton: The Knights head across town on Wednesday, traveling to St. Olaf's Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn., for a 6 p.m. MIAC showdown against the Oles.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• After back-to-back home games, the Cardinals play three of their next four contests on the road — beginning Saturday at Carleton. … The Cardinals had their season-high three-game winning streak snapped with Thursday's 61-36 loss to unbeaten UW-Oshkosh. … Isabel Bettag (Maple Park, Ill.) scored a career-high 11 points — including back-to-back 3-pointers at the end of the second quarter — against UW-Oshkosh Thursday. … Bettag became the seventh player to record a single-game career-high of 10 or more points this season. Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis. / 20), Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn. / 16), Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill. / 15), Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis. / 15), Michele Remer (Grand Forks, N.D.), and Mary Wintroath (Suffern, N.Y. / 10) are the others. … Paulson's 20-point effort against St. Scholastica on Nov. 20 marked the first time this season a Cardinal had scored 20 or more points in a game. … Along with her 16 points against Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 24, Kedl also added a career-best 12 rebounds for her team-leading third double-double. … Saint Mary's has put four players in double figures in a game twice this year — vs. Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 17 and against Bethany Lutheran on Nov 24. … Paulson heads into Saturday's conference showdown at Carleton leading the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 ppg. Kedl is second to Paulson at 9.6 ppg, followed by Robertson (8.0 ppg) and Biermeier (7.0 ppg). … Kedl, who had eight rebounds against UW-Oshkosh Thursday, is the team's rebounding leader with 44 (8.8 rpg), with Remer close behind with 31 (6.2 rpg). … Saint Mary's has four players with 10 or more assists, led by Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) and Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.) with 18 each. … Kedl and Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn.) share the team lead with six steals each. … Saint Mary's is shooting 39 percent from the field (118-for-306), while knocking down 70 of 102 free throws (69 percent). … The Cardinals have drained 29 3-pointers, led by Paulson with 14. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 67.0 ppg, while allowing points at a 67.6 ppg clip. … The Cardinals have scored 80 or more points in two of their five games this season. … Saint Mary's season-high 87 points against Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 17 are the most since tossing in 88 in beating Crown 88-34 on Nov. 21, 2015. … The Cardinals picked up their first win under head coach David Foley with their 87-76 triumph over Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 17. … Three of the Cardinals' first four games were against teams they had never faced before — Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 24, and Simpson and Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 16-17. … The Cardinals — picked sixth in the MIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll — made their sixth MIAC Playoff appearance in the last seven years last season.
 
Scouting The Carleton Knights:
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the second straight home game for the Knights, who play four of their first seven contests at West Gym. … Wednesday's 69-65 loss to Bethany Lutheran was the second straight setback for the Knights, who had opened the season 3-1. … Carleton put four players in double figures against Bethany Lutheran Wednesday, led by Cece Leone with 15. Annabella Jensen added 11, and Nia Harris and Samantha Cooke each chipped in 10. … Leone's 15-point effort marked the third time in six games that the senior has led the team in scoring. Jensen has been the team's scoring leader in the other three contests. … Leone enters Saturday's game against Saint Mary's leading a trio of Knights averaging in double figures, boasting a 15.7 ppg scoring average. Cooke (12.5 ppg) and Jensen (12.0 ppg) are the other two. … Leone netted the team's single-game season high against the University of Dubuque on Nov. 20, pouring in a career-best 28 points — including 21 after halftime. … Carleton boasts nine players with 10 or more rebounds through six games, led by Jensen (50, 8.3 rpg), Leone (46, 7.7 rpg), and Jill Yanai (41, 5.2 rpg). … Maris Daleo owns a team-high 23 assists, three more than Yanai, while also leading the team with 11 steals. … As a team, the Knights are shooting 37 percent from the field (158-for-424) and 67 percent from the free throw line (84-for-125). … Carleton has knocked down 31 3-pointers, led by Anna Hughes with 12. Hughes, Leone (6), Yanai (6), and Erica Ellefson (6) have accounted for 30 of the team's 31 3-pointers. … Carleton has outscored its opponents in the first (110-91) and third (137-93) quarters, but has been outscored in the second (106-89) and fourth (104-83) stanzas. … Carleton is averaging 71.8 ppg, while the Knights opponents are scoring at a 66.8 ppg clip. … The Knights, who have scored 70 or more points in three of their six contests, netted a season-high 98 points in beating the University of Dubuque 98-93 on Nov. 20. … The Knights' 98 points against the University of Dubuque were a single-game program record, breaking the old mark of 92 — originally set in a 92-71 home win over Augsburg on Feb. 14, 1990 and later matched in a 92-65 triumph at Concordia on Dec. 14, 2002. The 191 points the Knights and Spartans combined to score also established a new Carleton record.