By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team is back in conference action on Wednesday, as the Cardinals entertain Concordia in a 5 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-0 MIAC, 4-2 Overall) vs. Concordia Cobbers (1-0 MIAC, 3-2 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—December 1, 2018 * Northfield, Minn.: Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) scored a team-high 20 points and Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill.) added a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds, as the Cardinals rolled to a conference-opening 78-57 win over Carleton at West Gym | Recap
• Concordia—December 1, 2018 * St. Paul, Minn.: The Cobbers used a strong inside game — outrebounding Hamline 39-25 and holding a 39-28 edge in points in the paint — as CC opened conference play with a 63-50 win over the Pipers at Hutton Arena | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia — A Year Ago:
• February 7, 2018 * Moorhead, Minn.: Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn.) scored a career-high 14 points — and Saint Mary's survived scoring just a combined 14 points in the second and third quarters — to drop Concordia 49-44 at Memorial Auditorium | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in conference play on Saturday, heading to Gustavus' Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn., for a 1 p.m. matchup against the Gusties.
• Concordia: The Cobbers hit the road again on Saturday, traveling to Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 1 p.m. conference matchup against Augsburg.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• The Cardinals will play three of their next five games on their home court — beginning Wednesday against Concordia. … With Saturday's 78-57 win over Carleton, the Cardinals have now won four of their last five. Saint Mary's had its season-high three-game winning streak snapped with last Thursday's 61-36 loss to unbeaten UW-Oshkosh. … Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) scored a team-high 20 points against Carleton last Saturday, while Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill.) chipped in a career-high 19 and Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) added 10. … Paulson's 20-point effort against Carleton last Saturday marked the second time this season the freshman has scored a career-best 20 points in a game — having also netted 20 vs. St. Scholastica on Nov. 20. … Along with her 19 points, Robertson also hauled in a career-high 11 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double. … Robertson is the second Cardinal to post a double-double this season — Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) owns the other three. … 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 last Thursday. … Saint Mary's now boasts seven players who have recorded a single-game career-high of 10 or more points this season — Paulson (20), Robertson (19), Kedl (16), Biermeier (15), Bettag (11), Michele Remer (Grand Forks, N.D. / 10), and Mary Wintroath (Suffern, N.Y. / 10). … Kedl 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 against Concordia leading the team in scoring, averaging 14.7 ppg. Robertson is second to Paulson at 9.8 ppg, followed by Kedl (9.6 ppg) and Biermeier (7.6 ppg). … Kedl is the team's rebounding leader with 45 (9.0 rpg), with Remer close behind with 38 (6.3 rpg). … Saint Mary's has four players with 10 or more assists, led by Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) with 21 and Kirsten Keefe with 19. … Keefe also leads the team in steals with seven, one more than Kedl. … Saint Mary's is shooting 38 percent from the field (147-for-386), while knocking down 83 of 122 free throws (68 percent). … The Cardinals have drained 36 3-pointers, led by Paulson with 18. … The Cardinals equaled their season-high with seven 3-pointers against Carleton last Saturday. It was the third time this season Saint Mary's has knocked down seven treys in a game. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 68.8 ppg, while allowing points at a 65.8 ppg clip. … Saint Mary's hauled in a season-high 56 rebounds against Carleton last Saturday. … The Cardinals have scored 70 or more points in three of their six 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 Concordia Cobbers:
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the third of four straight road games for the Cobbers. … With their 63-50 win over Hamline last Saturday, the Cobbers have now won back-to-back contests — having dispatched of Saint Benedict 74-68 in a nonconference game on Nov. 27. CC is also 3-1 in its last four contests. … The Cobbers put four players in double figures against Hamline last Saturday, led by Grace Wolhowe and Mira Ellefson with 13 points each. Kirstin Simmons and Elizabeth Birkemeyer each chipped in 12. The four accounted for 50 of the Cobbers' 63 points vs. the Pipers. … Along with her 12 points, Simmons also equaled her career-high with 11 rebounds vs. the Pipers last Saturday en route to her second collegiate double-double. … Birkemeyer's 12 points against HU last Saturday were a career-high. … Ellefson — who has scored 10 or more points in four straight games — heads into Wednesday's matchup against Saint Mary's leading the team in scoring, averaging 14.2 ppg. Wolhowe is also averaging in double figured, scoring at a 13.4 ppg clip. … Simmons is the teams rebounding leader with 40 (8.0 rpg), followed by Ellefson (26, 5.2 rpg) and Wolhowe (25, 5.0 rpg). … Wolhowe also leads the team in both assists (24) and steals (10), while Simmons boasts a team-high six blocked shows. … The Cobbers are shooting 45 percent from the field (128-for 285) and have knocked down 48 of 66 free throws (72 percent). … Concordia has connected on 33 of 96 3-pointers, led by Amber Lingren with 11 and Ellefson with eight. … The Cobbers are averaging 67.4 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at a 60.8 ppg clip. … Concordia has scored 60 of more points in all five games this season — including a season-high 74 points in a 74-68 win over Saint Benedict on Nov. 27. … Concordia has scored 63 points in two of its three wins — beating Finlandia 63-42 and Hamline 63-50.