By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team is back on its home court for a third straight game on Thursday, as the Cardinals entertain St. Olaf in a 7 p.m. MIAC contest at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (8-4 MIAC, 12-7 Overall) vs. St. Olaf Oles (3-8 MIAC, 6-12 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 26, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's put four players in double figures — led by Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) with 16 points — as the Cardinals outlasted Gustavus 72-70 at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• St. Olaf—January 26, 2019 * Northfield, Minn.: The Oles rallied from a three-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter — outscoring St. Catherine 14-11 in the final 10-minute stanza — but the Wildcats held a 13-7 edge in overtime in dealing St. Olaf an 83-77 MIAC setback at Skoglund Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Olaf — A Year Ago:
• December 12, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) and Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.), who had just six points between them in the first half, combined for an impressive 26 second-half points, carrying the Cardinals past the Oles, 61-55, at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• January 24, 2018 * Northfield, Minn.: The Cardinals, coming off three straight wins —including an impressive 80-68 win over Hamline that included a 32-point showing by Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) and the 1,000th career point for Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) —pushed that winning streak to a season-high four in a row with a convincing 68-55 win over the Oles at Skoglund Center | Recap
   
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals hit the road on Saturday, heading to Augsburg's Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 1 p.m. conference matchup against the Auggies.
• St. Olaf: The Oles are back on the road on Saturday, traveling to Concordia's Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn., for a 1 p.m. MIAC showdown against the Cobbers.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• With Saturday's 72-70 win over Gustavus, the Cardinals are currently tied for third in the MIAC standings with Bethel with six games remaining in the regular season. St. Thomas leads the league at 12-0, followed by Augsburg at 11-1. Saint Mary's and Bethel are sitting at 8-4, followed by Gustavus (7-5), Hamline (6-6), and Saint Benedict (6-6). … Thursday's game against St. Olaf is the third of three straight home games for the Cardinals, who are 7-3 at the Saint Mary's Gym this season. … Saint Mary's heads into Thursday's game against St. Olaf having won two straight and five of its last six. … Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) led four Cardinals in double figures against Gustavus last Saturday, finishing with 16 points — including four 3-pointers — while Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) added 13, Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.) chipped in 12, and Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn.) netted 11. … Saint Mary's has now put four players in double figures in a game four times this year. … The Cardinals got a pair of double-doubles in their 66-60 win over Saint Benedict on Jan. 23— Blattner delivered a 22-point, 13-rebound effort, while Abby Winter (Winona, Minn.) chipped in 15 points and a game- and career-high 16 rebounds. … The double double-double marks the first time since the 2010 season that the Cardinals have had two players with 10 or more points and rebounds in the same game. Jamie Stefely (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Jess Thone (13 points, 10 rebounds) were the last two achieve the feat on Dec. 4, 2010 against Macalester. … Blattner's 22-point performance against Saint Benedict on Jan. 24 marked the fifth time this season the Cardinals have had a player score 20 or more points. Blattner has scored 22 points in a game twice, while Paulson has put together games of 20, 20, and 23 points. … Paulson knocked down a single-game career-high seven 3-pointers en route to her season- and career-high 23-point showing against Augsburg on Jan. 5. Paulson's seven 3-pointers were one shy of the school record, set by Ashley Luehmann on Jan. 22, 2005. … Blattner has now scored 20 or more points 23 times in her four-year collegiate career — including a career-best 30 points against Augsburg on Jan. 27, 2018. … Blattner leads the team with five double-doubles, giving the senior 35 for her Cardinal career. Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) is second to Blattner with four double-doubles. Winter's 15-point, 16-rebound effort against Saint Benedict on Jan. 23 was her first double-double of the season, while Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill.) also owns a double-double this season, scoring 19 points and adding 11 rebounds against Carleton on Dec. 1 … Winter's 16 rebounds against Saint Benedict on Jan. 24 were a career-high. Kedl (12) and Robertson (11) have also recorded single-game career-highs of 10 or more rebounds. … 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). … Blattner heads into Thursday's conference showdown against St. Olaf leading the team in scoring, averaging 14.3 ppg. Paulson is also averaging in double figures (11.4 ppg), followed by Kedl (6.9 ppg), Patterson (6.4 ppg), and Winter (6.3 ppg). … Kedl is the team's rebounding leader with 117 (6.5 rpg), with Blattner close behind (111, 8.5 rpg). … Saint Mary's has three players with 40 or more assists — Keefe (63), Patterson (52), and Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis. / 46). … Keefe also leads the team in steals with 23. … Saint Mary's is shooting 39.8 percent from the field (448-for-1126), while knocking down 222 of 314 free throws (68.7 percent). … The Cardinals have drained 108 3-pointers, led by Paulson with 48. … The Cardinals recorded a season-high nine 3-pointers against Augsburg on Jan. 5. Saint Mary's has now hit seven or more 3-pointers in a game six times this season. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 64.5 ppg, while allowing points at a 62.3 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 six 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. … Carleton's 48 points on Jan. 9 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 St. Olaf Oles:
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Thursday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of three straight road games for the Oles, who close out their season playing four of their final six contests away from Skoglund Center. … St. Olaf's 83-77 overtime loss to St. Catherine last Saturday was their third straight setback. The Oles have now dropped seven of their last eight — the lone win, a 73-54 victory over Carleton on Jan. 16. … The Oles put four players in double figures in their overtime loss to St. Catherine last Saturday. Keegan Mulvihill led the way with 16 points, while K'Lynn Lewis added 15, and Ella Skrien and Makenna Ash chipped in 12 each. … Ash also added a game-high 18 rebounds against the Wildcats last Saturday en route to her fifth straight double-double — the her 12th double-double of the season. … With her 13th rebound against St. Catherine last Saturday, Ash surpassed Betsey Daly to become the Oles' all-time career rebounding leader. Ash heads into Thursday's game against Saint Mary's with 754 career boards. … St. Olaf enters Thursday's matchup at Saint Mary's boasting three players who are averaging in double figures — Lewis (13.7 ppg), Ash (11.9 ppg), and Skrien (10.8 ppg). … Ash is the team-leader in rebounds with 238 — the most by an Ole in a single season since 1990 — and also boasts a team-high 22 blocked shots. … Lewis has dished out a team-leading 57 assists, while Mulvihill is the team's steals leader with 44. … The Oles are shooting 38.1 percent from the field (431-for-1132) and have netted 242 of 403 free throw attempts (60.0 percent). … St. Olaf has knocked down 122 3-pointers and boast four players — Lewis (35), Skrien (25), Mulvihill (20), and Allyson Fuller (20) — with 20 or more treys. … As a team, the Oles are averaging 64.5 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at a 69.9 ppg clip. … St. Olaf has scored 70 or more points seven times, including a season-high 97-point effort in beating Johnson & Wales 97-77 on Nov. 24. … The Oles' 97-point showing against Johnson & Wales was the program's highest single-game effort since a 110-50 victory over St. Catherine on Dec. 12, 1998.