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 play on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain Macalester in a 1 p.m. contest at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-3 MIAC, 8-6 Overall) vs. Macalester Scots (1-6 MIAC, 3-11 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 9, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals got a game-high 19 points from Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) — and overcame a sluggish shooting night — in holding off Carleton for a 53-48 conference win at the Saint Mary's | Recap
• Macalester—January 9, 2019 * Northfield, Minn.: The Scots erupted for 48 second-half points — including a 22-5 scoring edge in the third quarter — as Macalester collected its first conference win of the season with a 75-51 win over St. Olaf at Skoglund Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Macalester — A Year Ago:
• January 13, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals scored 10 of the game's first 15 points — and erupted for 24 more in the second quarter alone — as Saint Mary's cruised to a 73-45 conference win over the Scots at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• February 10, 2018 * St. Paul, Minn.: Saint Mary's, clinging to one-point leads at the half, and after three quarters, outscored Macalester 25-14 in the decisive fourth quarter in locking up its sixth MIAC Playoff berth in the last seven seasons with a 69-57 win over Macalester at Leonard Center | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in action on Wednesday, traveling to Concordia's Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn., for a 5 p.m. conference matchup against the Cobbers.
• Macalester: The Scots return home to the Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday, playing host to Gustavus in a 7 p.m.  MIAC matchup.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Saturday's game against Macalester is the Cardinals' second straight home game — and the fifth home contest in their last six. Saint Mary's is 4-3 on its home court this season. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) scored a team- and game-high 19 points in the Cardinals' 53-48 win over Carleton on Wednesday. Blattner has now scored 10 or more points in six of the eight games she's played in this season. … Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) — coming off a game- and career-high 23-point performance against Augsburg last Saturday — chipped in 11 points against Carleton Wednesday. … Paulson has accounted for all three of the Cardinals' 20-plus point games this season. Along with her career-best 23-point effort against Augsburg last Saturday, Paulson also scored 20 points against both Carleton on Dec. 1 and St. Scholastica on Nov. 20. … Paulson knocked down a single-game career-high seven 3-pointers en route to her 23-point showing against the Auggies last Saturday. Paulson's seven 3-pointers were one shy of the school record, set by Ashley Luehmann on Jan. 22, 2005. … Blattner collected her third double-double of the season — and 33^rd of her collegiate career — with 18 points and 13 rebounds against Augsburg last Saturday. … Blattner has recorded 10 or more rebounds in two of the Cardinals' last three games and four times this season. … Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) delivered her team-leading fourth double-double of the season against Hamline on Jan. 2, scoring 11 points and adding 11 rebounds. … Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill.) 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 hauled in a career-high 12 rebounds against Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 24. … 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 (23), Robertson (19), Kedl (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). … 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. … Blattner heads into Saturday's conference showdown against Macalester leading the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 ppg. Paulson is also averaging in double figures (12.6 ppg), followed by Kedl (7.6 ppg) and Robertson (6.6 ppg). … Kedl is the team's rebounding leader with 94 (7.2 rpg), while Blattner (69, 8.6 rpg), Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn. / 58, 4.5 rpg), Remer (55, 4.6 rpg), and Robertson (51, 3.6 rpg) have also recorded 50 or more boards this season. … Saint Mary's has three players with 20 or more assists — Keefe (50), Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis. / 40), and Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn. / 37). … Keefe also leads the team in steals with 16, five more than Patterson and Kedl. … Saint Mary's is shooting 39.6 percent from the field (336-for-849), while knocking down 161 of 245 free throws (65.7 percent). … The Cardinals have drained 81 3-pointers, led by Paulson with 37. … The Cardinals drained a season-high nine 3-pointers against Augsburg last Saturday, and has made seven or more 3-pointers in a game five times this season. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 65.3 ppg, while allowing points at a 61.7 ppg clip. … Saint Mary's hauled in a season-high 56 rebounds against Carleton in the teams' first meeting on Dec. 1. … The Cardinals have scored 70 or more points five times 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 seven games. … Saint Benedict's 51 points on Dec. 12 were the fewest allowed by the Cardinals this season. … 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 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 Macalester Scots:
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of back-to-back road games for the Scots, who are 2-5 away from Leonard Center this season. … With their 75-51 win over St. Olaf on Wednesday, the Scots put an end to a season-high six-game losing streak. … Prior to Wednesday's win over the Oles, Macalester's last two losses were by a combined six points — Macalester fell to Concordia 62-60 on Jan. 2, before dropping a 64-60 decision to Saint Benedict three days later. … Justine Barraza led a trio of Macalester players in double figures against St. Olaf Wednesday, scoring a game-high 22 points. Katherine Podoll and Tyana Loiselle chipped in 16 and 12 points, respectively. … Barraza has now scored a season- and career-high 22 points in back-to-back games and three times this season. The sophomore also achieved the feat against Saint Benedict and UW-La Crosse. … Barraza is the only Scot averaging in double figures, boasting a 12.2 ppg scoring average. … Podoll is second to Barraza in scoring at 9.6 ppg, followed by Holly Hull at 9.1 ppg. … Kayla Togneri is the team's rebounding leader with 85 (6.1 rpg), while Podoll (76, 5.4 rpg) and Hull (69, 4.9 rpg) have also hauled in 60 or more boards through 14 games. … Macalester has seven players who have recorded 10 or more assists — led by Loiselle (27) and Katie Sowerby (23) — while Loiselle also leads the team with 20 steals. … As a team, the Scots — who are averaging 56.6 ppg — are shooting 34.8 percent from the field (285-for-819) and have hit 141 of 218 free throw attempts (64.7 percent). … The Scots have netted 82 3-pointers — led by Barraza with 37. … Macalester's 75 points in Wednesday's 75-51 win over St. Olaf were a season high. It also marked just the sixth time this season the Scots have scored 60 or more points in a game.