By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team returns to conference play on Wednesday, as the Cardinals head to Hamline's Hutton Arena for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Pipers.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-1 MIAC, 7-4 Overall) at Hamline Pipers (2-2 MIAC, 7-4 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—December 22, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals put four players in double figures — including 13-point efforts from both Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) and Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) — as Saint Mary's rolled to a 72-57 nonconference win over North Central at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Hamline—December 15, 2018 * St. Paul, Minn.: Hamline rebounded from a rocky start by outscoring Viterbo in each of the last three quarters, as the Pipers handed the visiting V-Hawks a 69-61 nonconference setback at Hutton Arena | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Hamline — A Year Ago:
• January 20, 2018 * St. Paul, Minn.: On a day when Saint Mary's junior Brandi Blattner became the 11^th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points, it was the Cardinals' lone senior — Alexa Huisman —who shined the brightest. Huisman started hot—and stayed hot—in leading the Saint Mary's women's basketball team to an 80-68 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over Hamline at Hutton Arena | Recap
• February 17, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's locked up its sixth MIAC Playoff berth in the last seven years, rolling to a 57-46 victory over Hamline in the teams' regular-season finale at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on their home floor at the Saint Mary's Gym on Saturday, entertaining Augsburg in a 1 p.m. conference matchup.
• Hamline: The Pipers return to action on Saturday, heading across town to St. Thomas' Schoenecker Arena for a 1 p.m. MIAC showdown against St. Thomas.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Saint Mary's 72-57 win over North Central (Ill.) on Dec. 22 was the final nonconference game of the season for the Cardinals, who went 4-3 against non-MIAC opponents. … The Cardinals head into Wednesday's conference showdown against Hamline have won four of their last six games. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) and Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) each scored a team- and game-high 13 points against North Central (Ill.) on Dec. 22. … Blattner has now led or shared the team lead in scoring in back-to-back games and in three of the Cardinals' last four contests. … The Cardinals have had six different players lead the team in scoring this season. … 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), 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. … Blattner picked up her second double-double of the season — and 32nd of her collegiate career — with 18 points and 12 rebounds against Viterbo on Dec. 19. … Robertson recorded 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 three times this year — vs. Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 17, against Bethany Lutheran on Nov 24, and vs. North Central (Ill.) on Dec. 22. … Abby Winter (Winona, Minn.) hauled in 11 rebounds against Viterbo on Dec. 19. … Blattner heads into Wednesday's conference showdown against Hamline leading the team in scoring, averaging 13.2 ppg. Paulson is also averaging in double figures (12.3 ppg), followed by Kedl (8.6 ppg) and Robertson (8.0 ppg). … Kedl is the team's rebounding leader with 74 (7.4 rpg), while Remer (55, 5.0 rpg), Robertson (45, 4.1 rpg), Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn., 46, 4.6 rpg), and Blattner (36, 7.2 rpg) have also recorded 30 or more boards this season. … Saint Mary's has three players with 20 or more assists — Keefe (36), Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis. / 36), and Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn. / 29). … Keefe also leads the team in steals with 11, one more than Patterson, and two in front of Kedl. … Saint Mary's is shooting 40 percent from the field (272-for-674), while knocking down 128 of 194 free throws (66 percent). … The Cardinals have drained 61 3-pointers, led by Paulson with 28. … The Cardinals have drained a season-high seven 3-pointers in a game four times this season. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 66.6 ppg, while allowing points at a 61.5 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 five of their 11 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 57 points or less in four of their last six 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 Hamline Pipers:
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 Pipers, who are 4-3 at Hutton Arena this season. … With their come-from-behind 69-61 nonconference win over Viterbo on Dec. 15, the Pipers pushed their winning streak to three straight. It's the second time this season Hamline has won three consecutive games — the Pipers opened the season with victories over Crown, Northwestern, and North Central (Minn.). … Hamline put three player sin double figures in its win over Viterbo on Dec. 15, led by Reilly Geistfeld with 19 points. Kaeli Stayer added 12 points and Chan'el Anderson-Manning chipped in 11, while Morgen Coleman hauled in a team-high 10 rebounds. … Geistfeld and Anderson-Manning enter Wednesday's showdown against Saint Mary's leading the team in scoring — Geistfeld is averaging 16.5 ppg, with Anderson-Manning close behind at 11.9 ppg. … Geitsfeld has accounted for both of the Pipers' single-game season-highs, scoring 28 points against both Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 17 and Saint Benedict on Dec. 8. … Geitsfeld has accounted for two of the team's three double-doubles — posting 28 points, 12 rebounds against Saint Benedict and delivering 15 points and 15 rebounds vs. Macalester four days later. Anderson-Manning owns the team's other double-double with 16 points and 10 boards vs. Martin Luther. … Geistfeld has hauled in a team-leading 76 rebounds (6.9 rpg) and is one of seven Pipers with 20 or more boards through 11 games. … Hamline has dished out 134 assists and have eight players with 10 or more helpers — led by Kaeli Stayer with 19 and Sophie Findell with 18. … Anderson-Manning is the team-leader in steals with 29, while Geistfeld has accounted for 12 of the team's 27 blocks. … The Pipers are shooting 40 percent from the field (263-for-658) and have knocked down 66 percent of their free throws (159-for-240). … HU owns 65 3-pointers, led by Stayer with 16, Findell with 12, and Geistfeld with 11. … Hamline is averaging 68.1 ppg, while limiting their opponents to just 53.2 ppg. … Hamline has scored 70 or more points in six of its 11 games — including 80 or more twice. The Pipers netted 81 points in routing Crown 81-25, while scoring a season-high 87 in beating Saint Benedict 87-58 on Dec. 8.