By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team returns to conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain Augsburg in 1 p.m. contest at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-2 MIAC, 7-5 Overall) vs. Augsburg Auggies (5-0 MIAC, 10-2 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 2, 2019 * St. Paul, Minn.: Hamline erupted for 28-points in the game's final 10 minutes — including a buzzer-beating 3-point bomb by Kaeli Stayer — as Hamline rallied from a nine-point deficit with 3:19 remaining to deal the Cardinals a 67-66 setback at Hutton Arena | Recap
• Augsburg—January 2, 2019 * St. Joseph, Minn.: The Auggies outscored Saint Benedict 20-9 in the second quarter and held off a late Blazer run in beating CSB 66-60 at Claire Lynch Hall for their fifth straight conference victory | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Augsburg — A Year Ago:
• December 2, 2017 * Minneapolis, Minn.: The Cardinals surrendered the game's first seven points, and trailed 12-2 before the midway point of the opening quarter. And, for the second time in less than a week, the Cardinals could not completely recover from that slow start, as Augsburg held off every Saint Mary's comeback attempt in dealing SMU a 69-59 setback in the teams' conference opener at Si Melby Hall | Recap
• January 27, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to notch her ninth double-double of the season and lead the Cardinals to a 77-58 MIAC win over the Auggies 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 Wednesday, entertaining Carleton in a 7 p.m. conference matchup.
• Augsburg: The Auggies hit the road again on Wednesday, heading to Bethel's Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn., for a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown against the Royals.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Saturday's game against Augsburg is the first of three straight home games for the Cardinals, who have also played two of their last three contests at the Saint Mary's Gym. … The Cardinals head into Saturday's conference showdown against Augsburg having won four of their last seven games. … Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) led a trio of Cardinal players in double figures against Hamline Wednesday, scoring 11 points. Abby Winter (Winona, Minn.) and Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.) each chipped in 10. … Kedl also hauled in 11 rebounds en route to her team-leading fourth double-double of the season. … 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 — Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis. / 20), Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill. / 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). … 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. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) recorded 11 rebounds against Hamline Wednesday, marking the third time this season the senior has pulled down 10 or more boards. … Blattner is second to Kedl with two double-doubles this season — giving her 32 for her collegiate career. … 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 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. … Blattner heads into Saturday's conference showdown against Augsburg leading the team in scoring, averaging 12.3 ppg. Paulson is also averaging in double figures (11.8 ppg), followed by Kedl (8.8 ppg) and Robertson (7.3 ppg). … Kedl is the team's rebounding leader with 85 (7.7 rpg), while Remer (55, 5.0 rpg), Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn. / 51, 4.6 rpg), Blattner (47, 7.8 rpg), and Robertson (46, 3.8 rpg) have also recorded 40 or more boards this season. … Saint Mary's has three players with 20 or more assists — Keefe (41), Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis. / 37), and Patterson (34). … Keefe also leads the team in steals with 13, two more than Patterson. … Saint Mary's is shooting 41 percent from the field (297-for-732), while knocking down 137 of 212 free throws (65 percent). … The Cardinals have drained 68 3-pointers, led by Paulson with 29. … 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 61.9 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 12 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 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 Augsburg Auggies:
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Saturday's game at Saint Mary's is the second of three straight road games for the Auggies, who are 5-1 away from Si Melby Hall this season. … With Wednesday's 66-60 win over Saint Benedict, the Auggies ran their conference winning streak to five. … Each of Augsburg's last three games have been decided by seven points or less — a 79-72 overtime win over St. Catherine, a 59-55 loss to Trinity, and Wednesday's 66-60 win over Saint Benedict on Wednesday. … Tamira McLemore scored a team-high 15 points, while Aiza Wilson also finished in double figures with 10. … Augsburg equaled its season-high, shooting 41.2 percent (7-for-17) from behind the 3-point line against Saint Benedict on Wednesday. … McLemore heads into Saturday's matchup against Saint Mary's as the only Auggie averaging in double figures, scoring at a 14.8 ppg clip. Augsburg has three other players — Kaezina Wubben (9.6 ppg), Camryn Speese (8.2 ppg), and Wilson (9.1 ppg) — all averaging nine or more points per game. … McLemore has recorded the Auggies' top four single-game scoring performances — scoring 22 against both Northwestern and UW-Superior, netting 25 against Bethel, and tossing in a season-high 26 against St. Catherine. … Along with her team-leading 14.8 ppg scoring average, McLemore also leads the team in rebounds with 75 (6.3 rpg). Speese (63, 5.3 rpg), Jazmyn Solseth (57, 4.8 rpg), and Camille McCory (53, 4.4 rpg) have also recorded 50 or more rebounds through 12 games. … Arianna Jones has dished out a team-leading 54 assists, while Wubben boasts a team-best 27 steals, one more than both Jones and McLemore. … As a team, the Auggies are shooting 40 percent from the field (298-for-753 and 72 percent from the free throw line (160-for-222). … Augsburg leads the MIAC with 96 3-pointers, led by Wilson with 33 and McLemore with 27. … The Auggies have recorded 10 or more 3-pointers in a game three times, including a season-best 12 against Northwestern on Nov. 17. … Augsburg is averaging 71.0 ppg, while limiting its opponents to just 58.1 ppg. … The Auggies have scored 70 or more points five times this season — including two games of 90 or more. Augsburg netted 91 in beating Concordia 91-65 on Dec. 8, while pouring in a season-best 94 in a 94-25 victory over Crown on Nov. 15. …