By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team unofficially kicks off its 2018-19 season on Saturday, as the Cardinals travel across town to Winona State's McCown Gymnasium for a 5 p.m. exhibition game against the NCAA Division II Warriors.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2017-18: 16-11 Overall) at Winona State Warriors (17-13 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: Saturday's exhibition game against the Warriors is the Cardinals' first contest of the season.
• Winona State—November 4, 2018 * Ames, Iowa: The Warriors kicked off their season with an exhibition game against NCAA Division I Iowa State, falling to the Cyclones 73-39 | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Winona State—Their Last Meeting:
• November 4, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: Alex Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) poured in 24 points, but it was not enough, as the Cardinals could not overcome a 7-0, game-opening run by the Warriors in falling to NCAA Division II Winona State 75-67 in an exhibition game at WSU's McCown Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals officially kick off their season on Nov. 16-17, when they travel to St. Joseph, Minn., to take part in the Saint Benedict Tournament. Saint Mary's will face Simpson at 6 p.m. on Friday, before squaring off against Nebraska Wesleyan in a 1 p.m. matchup the following day.
• Winona State: The Warriors also officially kick off their season on Nov. 16-17, taking part in the Quincy Subway Classic in Quincy, Ill. WSU will face host Quincy on Friday at 7 p.m. and will square off against Truman State at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2017-18 Final Statistics
• The Cardinals made their sixth MIAC Playoff appearance in the last seven years last season — reaching the semifinals in each of those six appearances. … The Cardinals closed out the season winning nine of their last 13 games. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) — a three-time All-MIAC First-Team selection and a three-time D3hoops.com All-West Region pick — was named to the D3hoops.com Preseason All-America Team. … Blattner closed out the season as the team's offensive leader, boasting team highs in scoring average (17.6 ppg) and rebounds 270 (10.0 rpg). … Blattner scored 10 or more points in 26 of the team's 27 games—the lone exception a nine-point effort against Gustavus on Jan. 10—while also recording 10 or more rebounds in a game 12 times this season and 35 times as a Cardinal. … Blattner scored 20 or more points nine times last season. … Blattner scored a career-high 30 points — two better than her previous career best—and added 15 rebounds in Saint Mary's win over Augsburg on Jan. 27. … With her 12 double-doubles this season, Blattner has scored 10 or more points and rebounds in a game 30 times in her three-year collegiate career. … Blattner scored 25 points and added a career-high and school-record 20 rebounds in the Cardinals' 69-57 win over Macalester on Feb. 10. The 20 rebounds against the Scots were one more than Blattner's previous school record total, set against UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 29, 2015. … Blattner closed out her junior year with 1,183 career points and 749 career rebounds — and is just the fourth player in Cardinal history to record 1,000 career points and 700 career rebounds. … Blattner also eclipsed the 1,000 career kill mark during the 2018 Cardinal volleyball season. … Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) — the lone senior on last year's Cardinal roster — scored a career-high 32 points—12 more than her previous career best—against Hamline on Jan. 20. … 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 — who closed out the year averaging 12.8 ppg — also hauled in a career-best 10 rebounds en route to the first double-double of her collegiate career. … Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) scored a career-best 23 points in the Cardinals' 80-62 loss at Bethel on Feb. 3 to become the fourth Cardinal to eclipse the 20-point barrier a year ago — joining Blattner (9 times), Huisman (2 times) and Abby Winter (Winona, Minn. / 1 time). … The Cardinals had eight players who recorded single-game, career-highs of 10 or more points last season — Huisman (32), Blattner (30), Winter (25), Vesel (23), Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis. / 15), Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn. / 14), Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn. / 13), and Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn. / 10). … Kedl recorded a career-best 10 rebounds against Augsburg on Dec. 2. She was the second Cardinal freshman to post 10 or more boards in a game last 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. … Winter and Huisman joined Blattner in the "100 Rebound Club," finishing the year with 135 (5.3 rpg) and 111 (4.3 rpg) rebounds, respectively. … Saint Mary's boasted eight players with 20 or more assists, led by Keefe (71), Schmeling (53), and Blattner (48). … Schmeling and Keefe each recorded a single-game career-high eight assists in a game a year ago — Schmeling did it against St. Olaf on Jan. 24, while Keefe equaled that feat against St. Catherine on Jan. 31. … Blattner held the team lead in steals with 36, six more than Keefe. … The Cardinals knocked down 173 treys — including a season-best 13 against UM-Morris on Nov. 18, not to mention 12 in both meetings against St. Olaf. … The Cardinals' 13 3-pointers vs. UM-Morris on Nov. 18 were the most since raining in 14 against St. Catherine on Jan. 22, 2005. … Huisman — who notched a single-game career-high seven 3-pointers against Hamline on Jan. 20 — led the Cardinals with 73 treys. … Fifteen Cardinals netted at least one 3-pointer last season. … Saint Mary's had six different players net a 3-pointer against UM-Morris on Nov. 18. … The Cardinals averaged 63.7 ppg, while limiting their opponents to a 61.0 ppg scoring average. … Saint Mary's netted a season-high 81 points 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. … Saint Mary's 69-67 loss to St. Catherine on Jan. 31 was the only overtime game of the season for the Cardinals, who played a pair of overtime games during the 2016-17 season — beating Carleton (61-60) and falling to Saint Benedict (60-55). … Seven of the Cardinals' 11 losses last season were by 10 points or less. … Saint Mary's 49 points in its 49-44 win over Concordia on Feb. 7 were the fewest in a Cardinal win since beating St. Catherine 40-22 on Dec. 1, 2012. … Concordia's 44 points in its 49-44 loss to Saint Mary's on Feb. 7 were the fewest points allowed by the Cardinals last season — and the second time SMU held a team to 45 points or less. Macalester managed just 45 points in the Cardinals' 73-45 victory on Jan. 13. … 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 Winona State Warriors:
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2017-18 Final Statistics
• The Warriors are coming off a 17-13 season a year ago that included a 10-12 mark in NSIC play. … Winona State — which got team-highs of 12 points from Kayla Schaefer and 11 from Allie Pickrain in their 73-39 exhibition loss to Iowa State last Sunday — reached the NSIC Tournament title game a year ago — winning four straight tournament games, before falling to 10^th-ranked Augustana (Ill.) 64-45 in the championship game. … WSU won 13 of its first 14 games a year ago, before injuries plagued the Warriors through the month of January and into early February. With a strong finish, the Warriors climbed to 17 wins, marking the fourth straight season — and the ninth time in the past decade — that WSU has recorded at least 17 victories. … The Warriors closed out the 2017-18 season with three players — Hannah McGlone (13.3 ppg), Allie Pickrain (12.8 ppg), and Gabie Doud (10.6 ppg) — averaging in double figures. … McGlone also led the Warriors in rebounds with 299 (10.0 rpg). … Doud posted the Warriors' single-game season-high, pouring in 27 points against MSU-Moorhead on Feb. 2, while McGlone chipped in a 25-point effort against Sioux Falls on Dec. 1. All told, Winona State finished with eight games in which a player scored 20 or more points. … Along with her 12.8 ppg scoring average, Pickrain also led the team in assists (81), while McGlone boasted a team-leading 24 steals — one more than Pickrain — and a team-high 10 blocked shots. … Winona State knocked down 208 3-pointers a year ago, led by Pickrain with 74, Liz Evenocheck with 37, and Doud with 32. … Winona State average 64.8 ppg, while the Warriors opponents scored at a 62.1 ppg clip. … The Warriors outscored their opponents in every quarter but the fourth — holding a 494-475 edge in the first, a 506-421 advantage in the second, and a 475-417 edge in the third. Winona State was outscored 513-434 in the fourth quarter. … Winona State scored 80 or more points four times last season — including season-highs of 96 points in a 96-31 win over Beloit and 97 points in a 101-97 loss to MSU-Moorhead.