By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team is back on the road on Wednesday, as the Cardinals travel to Saint Benedict's Claire Lynch Hall for a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown with the Bennies
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-1 MIAC, 5-3 Overall) at Saint Benedict Bennies (1-2 MIAC, 3-5 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—December 8, 2018 * St. Peter, Minn.: Gustavus scored the game's first eight points — and 13 of the first 14 — and held off each and every Cardinal rally, as the Gusties dealt Saint Mary's a 65-56 conference setback at Gus Young Court | Recap
• Saint Benedict—December 5, 2018 * St. Joseph, Minn.: Hamline outscored the Bennies 23-6 in the third quarter in dealing CSB an 87-58 conference setback at Claire Lynch Hall | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Saint Benedict — A Year Ago:
• January 6, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Benedict — sitting atop the conference standings and riding a six-game winning streak — used an 8-0 fourth-quarter run to turn a one-point CSB advantage into a nine-point cushion en route to dealing Saint Mary's a 60-55 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are now off until next Wednesday, when they play host to Viterbo in a 7 p.m. nonconference contest at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• Saint Benedict: The Bennies do not play again until Dec. 29-30, when they head to Nashville, Tenn., to take part in the Trevecca Nazarene University Tournament. CSB will face Husson at 1 p.m. on Dec. 29, before squaring off against St. Norbert at 11 a.m. the following day.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against Saint Benedict is the second straight road game — and the sixth road game in nine contests this season for the Cardinals, who are 3-2 on the road this season. … Last Saturday's 65-56 loss to Gustavus snapped the Cardinals' two-game winning streak. Saint Mary's had its season-high three-game win streak ended with a 61-36 loss to unbeaten UW-Oshkosh on Nov. 29. … Saint Mary's heads into Wednesday's showdown against Saint Benedict 5-2 in its last seven games. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) and Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) both scored in double figures in the Cardinals' 65-56 loss at Gustavus — Blattner netted a team-best 15 points, while Paulson added 14. … Along with her team- and season-high 15 points, Blattner also added 13 rebounds for her first double-double of the season  — and the 31^st of her four-year collegiate career. … Blattner became the fifth different player to lead the team in scoring in the last five games. … Caily Landers (Palos Heights, Ill.) and Michele Remer (Grand Forks, N.D.) each scored single-game career highs in the Cardinals' 66-55 win over Concordia last Wednesday — Landers netted a team-high 12 points, while Remer added 11. … Saint Mary's boasts eight players who have recorded a single-game career-high of 10 or more points this season — Paulson (20), Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill. / 19), Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn. / 16), Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis. / 15), Landers (12), Isabel Bettag (Maple Park, Ill. / 11), Remer (11), and Mary Wintroath (Suffern, N.Y. / 10). … Paulson has scored a season- and career-high 20 points twice this season — vs. Carleton on Dec. 1 and against St. Scholastica on Nov. 20. … Robertson picked up her first collegiate double-double against Carleton on Dec. 1, scoring a career-best 19 points and added a career-high 11 rebounds. … Kedl — who leads the team with three double-doubles — hauled in a career-high 12 rebounds against Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 24. … 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 Wednesday's conference showdown at Saint Benedict leading the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 ppg. Blattner is also averaging in double figures (11.5 ppg), followed by Robertson (9.1 ppg). … Kedl is the team's rebounding leader with 54 (7.7 rpg), while Remer (50, 6.3 rpg), Robertson (35, 5.0 rpg), and Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn., 31, 4.4 rpg) have also recorded 30 or more boards this season. … Saint Mary's has three players with 20 or more assists — Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis. / 27), Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn. / 23) and Keefe (21). … Kedl leads the team with eight steals, one more than Keefe, Remer, and Patterson. … Saint Mary's is shooting 39 percent from the field (193-for-492), while knocking down 102 of 154 free throws (66 percent). … The Cardinals have drained 47 3-pointers, led by Paulson with 22. … The Cardinals equaled their season-high with seven 3-pointers against Gustavus last Saturday. It was the fourth time this season Saint Mary's has drained seven 3-pointers in a game. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 66.9 ppg, while allowing points at a 64.4 ppg clip. … Saint Mary's hauled in a season-high 56 rebounds against Carleton on Dec. 1. … The Cardinals have scored 70 or more points in three of their eight games this season — including two games of 80 or more points. … 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 Saint Benedict Bennies:
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of back-to-back home games for the Bennies, who are 2-3 on their home court this season. … Saint Benedict's 87-58 loss to Hamline last Saturday was the Bennies' second straight setback. … CSB is now just 1-5 in its last six games — the lone victory, a 64-61 decision over Gustavus on Dec. 1. … Maddie Schmitz and Megan Thompson both scored in double figures against Hamline last Saturday — Schmitz tossed in a team-best 18 points, while Thompson chipped in 11. … Saint Benedict enters Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's boasting three players who are averaging in double figures — Thompson (13.9 ppg), Schmitz (13.0 ppg), and Alex Johnson (10.0 ppg). … Thompson scored a career-high 19 points against Concordia on Nov. 27, and has netted 10 or more points in all eight games this season. … Saint Benedict has seven players who have hauled in 20 or more rebounds through eight games, led by Schmitz with 52 (6.5 rpg), Breanna Gates with 33 (4.1 rpg), and Johnson with 32 (8.0 rpg). … Thompson leads the Bennies in both assists (25) and steals (14). … Sidney Schiffler is second to Thompson in assists (24), while Gates is second in steals with 13. … Johnson (9) and Gates (7) have accounted for 16 of the team's 20 blocked shots this season. … Saint Benedict is shooting 41 percent from the field (200-for-490), while going 65-for-106 (61 percent) from the free throw line. … The Bennies have drained 49 3-pointers this season, led by Schiffler with 12 and McKenzie Holgate with 11. … Saint Benedict's three wins this season have all been decided by seven points or less — including a three-point, 64-62 win over Gustavus on Dec. 1 and a two-point, 77-75 double-overtime victory against Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 16. … CSB scored a season-high 80 points in an 84-80 overtime loss to Simpson on Nov. 17. … After going 22-5 in 2017-18, the Bennies were picked to finish fourth in the MIAC Preseason Coaches Poll. … CSB coach Mike Durbin enters his 33^rd season at the helm, compiling a 674-228 record, including 25 20-plus win seasons. He is  one of just five Division III women's basketball coaches to have 25 or more 20-win seasons.