By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as the Cardinals entertain nationally ranked and league-leading St. Thomas in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (14-9 MIAC, 9-7 Overall) vs. #8 St. Thomas Tommies (16-0 MIAC, 21-2 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—February 10, 2018 * St. Paul, Minn.: The Cardinals got 25 points and 20 rebounds from Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.), as Saint Mary's locked up a post-season playoff berth with a 69-57 win over Macalester at Leonard Center | Recap
• St. Thomas—February 10, 2018 * Northfield, Minn.: The Tommies did not allow St. Olaf to score more than nine points in any of the four quarters, as St. Thomas cruised to a 77-31 win at Skoglund Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Thomas—A Year Ago:
• January 18, 2017 * St. Paul, Minn.: Saint Mary's entered its showdown with St. Thomas determined to do something no team before them had done—beat the Tommies. Unfortunately, St. Thomas had other ideas. Instead of being Victor No. 1, the Cardinals became Victim No. 15, as UST raced out to a 20-7 lead with three minutes remaining in the first quarter and the Cardinals never recovered in falling to the Tommies 77-57 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup at Schoenecker Arena | Recap
• February 15, 2017 • Winona, Minn.: If Saint Mary's coach Brent Pollari could have cloned the Cardinals' performance in the second half of its game against second-ranked and unbeaten St. Thomas, the Cardinal might very well have handed the Tommies their first loss of the season. As good as the second half was for the Cardinals, however, the first half was just as forgettable, as Saint Mary's managed just 19 first-half points, as St. Thomas raced out to a 22-7 lead after the first quarter, and took a 41-19 lead into the locker room at the break en route to a 77-66 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals close out the regular-season portion of its schedule on Saturday, as Saint Mary's entertains Hamline in a 3 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• St. Thomas: The Tommies entertain Saint Benedict in a 3 p.m. MIAC game at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minn., on Saturday. It is the regular-season finale for both UST and CSB.
 
MIAC Playoff Chase:
• Five of the six MIAC Playoff berths have already been clinched by St. Thomas (16-0), Saint Benedict (15-1), Gustavus (13-3), Bethel (11-5), and Saint Mary's (9-7). St. Catherine (7-9) and Augsburg (7-9) are currently tied for the sixth and final spot—with the two squaring off against each other on Wednesday.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
• Last Saturday's game against Macalester was the final regular-season road game for the Cardinals, who finished 8-6 on the road this season. Saint Mary's will close out its regular-season schedule with back-to-back home games against St. Thomas (Wednesday) and Hamline (Saturday). … With their 69-57 win over Macalester on Saturday—their second straight win—the Cardinals locked up their sixth MIAC Playoff berth in the last seven seasons.  Saint Mary's heads into Wednesday's game vs. league-leading St. Thomas having won seven of their last nine. … The Cardinals' 49-44 win over Concordia last Wednesday marked just the third time in their last 26 wins that Saint Mary's has not scored 60 or more points—the other exceptions, a 56-52 win over Macalester on Jan. 4, 2017 and a 59-49 victory over Carleton on Jan. 17, 2018. … Saint Mary's 49 points in its 49-44 win over Concordia last Wednesday were the fewest in a Cardinal win since beating St. Catherine 40-22 on Dec. 1, 2012. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) scored 25 points and added a career-high and school-record 20 rebounds in the Cardinals' 69-57 win over Macalester last Saturday. … 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 has now scored 20 or more points eight times this season, while the double-double was her 10^th of the season and 28^th of her collegiate career. … Blattner has scored 10 or more points in 22 of the team's 23 games this season, while also recording 10 or more rebounds in a game 10 times this season and 34 times as a Cardinal. … 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. … Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) 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 also hauled in a career-best 10 rebounds en route to the first double-double of her collegiate career. … Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn.) scored a career-high 14 points to pace the Cardinals in their 49-44 win over Concordia last Wednesday. It was the second straight game in which Saint Mary's leading scorer recorded a single-game career high—Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) scored a career-best 23 points, including 19 in the second half, in the Cardinals' 80-62 loss at Bethel last Saturday. … Vesel is the fourth Cardinal to eclipse the 20-point barrier this season—joining Blattner (8 times), Huisman (2 times) and Abby Winter (Winona, Minn. / 1 time). … With her team-leading 25 points against Macalester last Saturday, Blattner became the fourth different player in the last four games to lead the team in scoring. … Blattner's 3-pointer with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter against Hamline last Saturday gave the Cardinal junior her 1,000^th career point. Blattner is the 11^th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark. … Blattner—who enters Wednesday's game against St. Thomas with 1,113 career points and 709 career rebounds—is just the fourth player in Cardinal history to record 1,000 career points and 700 career rebounds. … The Cardinals boast eight players who have recorded a single-game, career-high of 10 or more points this season—Huisman (32), Blattner (30), Winter (25), Vesel (23), Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis. / 15), Keefe (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 is the second Cardinal freshman to post 10 or more boards in a game this 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. … Blattner (17.6 ppg) and Huisman (12.6 ppg) enter Saturday's conference game at Macalester averaging in double figures. … Blattner also leads the team in rebounds with 230 (10.0 rpg). … Winter has also eclipsed the 100-rebound plateau with 117 (5.3 rpg). … Saint Mary's boasts seven players with 20 or more assists, led by Keefe (64), Schmeling (46), and Blattner (43). … Schmeling and Keefe have each recorded a single-game career-high eight assists this season—Schmeling did it against St. Olaf on Jan. 24, while Keefe equaled that feat against St. Catherine on Jan. 31. … Blattner holds the team lead in steals with 32, seven more than Huisman. … The Cardinals, who finished with 141 3-pointers a year ago, have already knocked down 152 treys this season—including a season-best against UM-Morris on Nov. 18. … The Cardinals' 13 3-pointers vs. UM-Morris on Nov. 18 are 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—leads the Cardinals with 63 treys. … Fifteen Cardinals have netted at least one 3-pointer this season. … Saint Mary's had six different players net a 3-pointer against UM-Morris on Nov. 18. … The Cardinals enter Wednesday's game vs. St. Thomas averaging 65.1 ppg, while limiting their opponents to a 61.5 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. … The Cardinals' 69-67 loss to St. Catherine on Jan. 31 was the first overtime game of the season for the Cardinals, who played a pair of overtime games last season—beating Carleton (61-60) and falling to Saint Benedict (60-55). … Six of the Cardinals' nine losses have been by 10 points or less. … Concordia's 44 points in Wednesday's 49-44 loss to Saint Mary's were the fewest points allowed by the Cardinals this season—and the second time SMU has 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 St. Thomas Tommies:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the second straight—and final—road game of the regular season for the Tommies, who are 11-1 on the road this season, while owning a 10-1 record at Schoenecker Arena. … The Tommies, ranked No. 8 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25, head into Wednesday's showdown against Saint Mary's riding a 14-game winning streak. UST's last loss was a 77-72 loss to Luther on Dec. 16. … With their lopsided 77-31 win over St. Olaf last Saturday, the Tommies have now won 50 straight games against conference opponents. UST also brings a 28-game road winning streak into Wednesday's showdown against Saint Mary's. … The Tommies have posted 32 straight wins in games played in February. … Lucia Renikoff scored a team-high 14 points in the Tommies' win over St. Olaf last Saturday, while Kaia Porter chipped in 12 and Lauren Fischer added 10. … St. Thomas boasts two players—Hannah Spaulding (20.5 ppg) and Reinkoff (13.7 ppg)—who are averaging in double figures through 23 games. … Spaulding owns St. Thomas' top five single-game scoring performances, netting 25 points once, 26 points once, 27 points twice, and a season-high 29 points once. …… Spaulding also leads the team in rebounds with 195 (8.5 rpg), while Fischer has also eclipsed the 100-rebound barrier this season with 101 (4.4 rpg). … The Tommies boast six players with 30 or more assists, led by Maddie Wolkow (70), Renikoff (56), and Kaylie Brazil (53). … Wolkow and Reinikoff share the team lead with 33 steals each. … Spaulding has accounted for 55 of the Tommies' 99 blocks this season. … The Tommies enter Wednesday's game shooting 47.2 percent from the field (605-for-1283) and have knocked down 183 3-pointers. … Renikoff has drained a team-leading 52 3-pointers, with Fischer (38), Wolkow (32), and Brazil (25) have also recorded 20 or more treys this season. … As a team, the Tommies are averaging 74.3 ppg, while limiting their opponents to a 52.2 ppg scoring average. … UST has scored 80 opr ore points three times this season—including netting a season-high 95 in beating Macalester 95-37 on Jan. 3. … St. Thomas has held its opponents to less than 40 points on five occasions, including limiting St. Olaf to season-lows of 34 points (Jan. 27) and 31 points (Feb. 10).