By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team close out their first-semester schedule on Saturday, as the Cardinals host North Central (Ill.) in a 2 p.m. nonconference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (6-4 Overall) vs. North Central Cardinals (3-7 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—December 19, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Viterbo took advantage of Saint Mary's ice-cold shooting from the field, as the V-Hawks held the Cardinals to just 19 first-half points and did not let Saint Mary's play with the lead over the game's final 23 minutes in dealing SMU a 53-49 setback | Recap
• North Central—December 18, 2018 * Dubuque, Iowa: The Cardinals jumped out to a 44-23 lead after the game's opening two quarters — outscoring the University of Dubuque 24-14 in the first quarter and 20-9 in the second — as North Central cruised to a 72-57 victory | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. North Central — Their Last Meeting:
• December 28, 2013 * Naperville, Ill.: Shelby Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn.) scored a season-high 28 points, as Saint Mary's put five players in double figures en route to a 99-81 nonconference win | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are now off until Jan. 2, when they travel to Hamline's Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup against the Pipers.
• North Central: The Cardinals are back on the road on Dec. 29-30, traveling to Wartburg, Iowa, to take part in the Wartburg Holiday Tournament. North Central will face host Wartburg at 1 p.m. on Dec. 29, and will square off against either St. Thomas or Washington (Mo.) University the following afternoon.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Saturday's game against North Central (Ill.) is the second of back-to-back nonconference home games for the Cardinals, who have played six of their first 10 games on the road this season. … Despite their 53-49 loss to Viterbo on Wednesday, the Cardinals head into Saturday's showdown against North Central having won three of their last five and are 6-3 in their last nine. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) led the team in scoring against Viterbo Wednesday, pouring in a game-high 18 points. Blattner was the only Cardinal in double figures against the V-Hawks. … The Cardinals have had five different players lead the team in scoring in their last six games. … Blattner picked up her second double-double of the season — and 32nd of her collegiate career — with 18 points and 12 rebounds against Viterbo Wednesday. … Saint Mary's boasts eight players who have recorded a single-game career-high of 10 or more points this season — Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis. / 20), Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill. / 19), Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn. / 16), Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis. / 15), Caily Landers (Palos Heights, Ill. / 12), Isabel Bettag (Maple Park, Ill. / 11), Michele Remer (Grand Forks, N.D. / 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. … Abby Winter (Winona, Minn.) hauled in 11 rebounds against Viterbo Wednesday. … Blattner heads into Saturday's nonconference showdown against Viterbo leading the team in scoring, averaging 13.3 ppg. Paulson is also averaging in double figures (12.2 ppg), followed by Kedl (8.4 ppg) and Robertson (8.4 ppg). … Kedl is the team's rebounding leader with 66 (7.3 rpg), while Remer (53, 5.3 rpg), Robertson (40, 4.0 rpg), Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn., 40, 4.0 rpg), and Blattner (32, 8.0 rpg) have also recorded 30 or more boards this season. … Saint Mary's has three players with 20 or more assists — Keefe (33), Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis. / 30), and Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn. / 26). … Schmeling and Keefe have each recorded single-game season-highs of eight assists this season. … Kedl, Keefe, and Patterson share the team lead in steals with nine. … Saint Mary's is shooting 40 percent from the field (242-for-610), while knocking down 122 of 184 free throws (66 percent). … The Cardinals have drained 55 3-pointers, led by Paulson with 25. … The Cardinals have drained a season-high seven 3-pointers in a game four times this season. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 66.1 ppg, while allowing points at a 61.9 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 four of their 10 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 have held their opponents to 55 points or less in three of their last five games. … Saint Benedict's 51 points on Dec. 12 were the fewest allowed by the Cardinals this season. … 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 North Central Cardinals:
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the fourth of six consecutive road games for the Cardinals, who are 2-5 away from Gregory Arena this season. … Tuesday's 72-57 win over the University of Dubuque put an end to the Cardinals' three-game losing streak. … Two of North Central's three losses during its recent three-game slide were decided by three points or less — the Cardinals dropped an 83-82 overtime decision to North Park on Dec. 8, before falling to UW-Stevens Point 70-67 three days later. … Lyndsay Brennan scored a career-high 17 points to lead the Cardinals against the University of Dubuque Tuesday, while Alanna Newsome also scored in double figures, finishing with 10 points. … Brennan also hauled in 11 rebounds against the Spartans Tuesday en route to her first career double-double. … Natali Dimitrova narrowly missed adding a double-double against the Spartans Tuesday, finishing with nine points and a career-best 13 rebounds. … Newsome heads into Saturday's showdown at Saint Mary's as the only Cardinal averaging in double figures at 13.4 ppg. Tyonne Howard is second on the team in scoring at 9.7 ppg, followed by Brennan (8.9 ppg) and Dimitrova (7.9 ppg). … North Central has had a player score 20 or more points in a game four times this season. Howard owns a 21-point showing, while Newsome has scored 23 and 24 points, and Dimitrova boasts a team-best 26-point effort against North Park on Dec. 8. … North Central boasts six players with 30 or more rebounds through the season's first 10 games, led by Dimitrova with 58 (5.8 rpg) and Brennan with 53 (5.3 rpg). … Howard is the team's assist leader with 55, while also boasting a team-best 19 steals. … Dimitrova has accounted for 11 of the team's 28 blocked shots. … The Cardinals are shooting 35 percent from the field (218-for-620) and have knocked down 142 of 215 free throws (66 percent). … North Central has netted 74 3-pointers, led by Newsome (16), Allison Pearson (12), and Brennan (11). … The Cardinals have scored 70 or more points three times this season — including a season-high 82-point showing in its 83-82 overtime loss to North Park on Dec. 8.