By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team closes out the 2019 portion of its schedule, taking part in the two-day JustAGame Holiday Shootout in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. After falling to nationally ranked UW-Whitewater on Sunday, the Cardinals will square off against UW-Stevens Point in its second tournament game Monday at 3 p.m. at JustAGame Fieldhouse.

 
The Matchups:
Sunday, December 29, 2019 * Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
• #17/19 UW-Whitewater Warhawks 73, Saint Mary's Cardinals 44 | Recap
• #9 St. Thomas 63, UW-Stevens Point 38 | 
Monday, December 29, 2019 * Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
• St. Thomas Tommies (7-2 Overall) vs. UW-Whitewater Warhawks (9-1 Overall), 1 p.m.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-7 Overall) vs. UW-Stevens Point Pointers (4-5 Overall), 3 p.m.
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Pay-Per-View Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's­­ — December 29, 2019 * JustAGame Fieldhouse * Wisconsin Dells, Wis.: Nationally ranked UW-Whitewater scored 23 of the game's first 28 points and never took its foot off the gas, as the Warhawks dealt the Cardinals a 73-44 setback during the opening day of the JuatAGame Holiday Shootout | Recap
• UW-Stevens Point — December 29, 2019 * JustAGame Fieldhouse * Wisconsin Dells, Wis.: St. Thomas held the Pointers to a combined 13 points in the second and third quarters, as the ninth-ranked Tommies rolled to a 63-38 victory over UW-Stevens Point during the opening day of the JustAGame Holiday Shootout
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-Whitewater — Their Last Meeting:
• November 18, 2000 * Chicago, Ill.: Jenny Long (Westmont, Ill.) scored a game-high 18 points as the Cardinals opened their season with a thrilling 46-45 victory over UW-Whitewater in the opening round of the U. of Chicago Tournament | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-Stevens Point — Their Last Meeting:
• December 19, 2015 * Berg Gym * Stevens Point, Wis.: UW-Stevens Point outscored Saint Mary's 19-7 in the second quarter, and the Cardinals never recovered in falling to the Pointers 68-44 — and snapping their season-opening eight-game winning streak | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, heading to Bethel's Robertson Center Gym in Arden Hills, Minn., for a 3 p.m. showdown against the Royals.
• UW-Whitewater: The Warhawks are back in action on Saturday, returning home to Whitewater, Wis., for a 3 p.m. Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup against UW-Eau Claire.
• UW-Stevens Point: The Pointers return home to Berg Gym in Stevens Point, Wis., on Saturday, entertaining UW-River Falls in a 3 p.m. Western Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Saint Mary's games against UW-Whitewater and UW-Stevens Point are the second and third of six straight road games for the Cardinals, who do not return to the Saint Mary's Gym until Jan. 15, when they host Saint Benedict in a 7 p.m. conference contest. … With their 70-68 MIAC win over Macalester on Dec. 11, the Cardinals snapped their season-opening five-game losing streak. … Four of the Cardinals' last five games have all been decided by nine points or less — including a two-point, overtime win over Macalester on Dec. 11, and a two-point, double-overtime setback to St. Catherine last on Dec. 4 and a five-point loss to Concordia three days later. … The Cardinals' 70-68 win over Macalester on Dec. 11 was its second overtime game of the season — marking the first time since the 2016-17 season that Saint Mary's has played two overtime games in the same year. … The Cardinals' 79-77 loss to St. Catherine on Dec. 4 was its first double-overtime game since beating Bethel 73-69 on Jan. 24, 2009. … Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) scored a team-high 12 points against No. 7 Wartburg on Dec. 20, while Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill.) each chipped in nine. … Ewelina Schlomann (New Berlin, Wis.) equaled her career-high with 15 points against Macalester on Dec. 11. … Schlomann's team-high 15-point effort against Macalester on Dec. 11 marks the only time this season Vesel or Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) has not led the team in scoring. … Vesel scored a career-high 28 points in the Cardinals' 76-71 loss to Concordia on Dec. 7. The effort was three points better than her previous career best, and the highest individual single-game total since Alexa Huisman poured in 32 against Hamline on Jan. 20, 2018. … With her 12-point effort against Wartburg on Dec. 20 — her second straight 12-point performance — Vesel has now scored in double figures in all seven of the Cardinals' games this season. … Paulson has scored 10 or more points 18 times in her first two years as a Cardinal — including four games of 20 or more points. … The Cardinals put a season-high four players in double figures against St. Catherine on Dec. 4 — Vesel (18), Paulson (18), Schlomann (15), and Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn. / 12). … Vesel heads into Friday's nonconference game at Wartburg averaging a team-leading 15.6 ppg, while Paulson (13.4 ppg) is also averaging in double figures. … Vesel owns a team-high 35 rebounds (5.0 rpg), with Biermeier second (33, 4.7 rpg) and Schlomann (27, 4.5 rpg) third. … Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) is the team-leader with 19 assists, four more than Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.), while Vesel boasts team-highs with 11 steals and four blocks. … Paulson — who knocked down a single-game career-high seven 3-pointers en route to her career-high 23-point showing against Augsburg on Jan. 5, 2019 — leads the team with 15 treys, followed by Vesel with nine. … The Cardinals are shooting 36.3 percent from the field (156-for-430) — including 37-for-144 from behind the 3-point line — and are 91-for-134 from the free throw line. … The Cardinals netted a season-high 10 3-pointers against Concordia on Dec. 7. … The Cardinals' 77-point effort in their 79-77 double-overtime loss to St. Catherine was a season high. … Saint Mary's enters their nonconference matchups against UW-Whitewater and UW-Stevens Point averaging 62.9 ppg. … The Cardinals made their seventh MIAC Tournament appearance in the last eight years a year ago, falling to Bethel 66-52 in the quarterfinals. … The Cardinals picked up their first win under head coach David Foley with their 87-76 triumph over Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 17, 2018.
 
Scouting The UW-Whitewater Warhawks:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• UW-Whitewater enters JustAGame action ranked No. 17 in the latest WBCA Top-25, while holding down the No. 19 slot in the D3hoops.com Poll. … With their wins over Concordia (Wis.) and Spalding in Honolulu, Hawaii, the Warhawks pushed their winning streak to six straight. After opening the season with back-to-back wins over Calvin (66-54) and Concordia-Chicago (75-48), UW-Whitewater dropped a one-point, 70-69 decision to DePauw and has since rattled off six consecutive victories. … Becky Raeder and Aleah Grundahl scored 14 and 12 points, respectively, to lead the team in scoring against Concordia (Wis.) and Spalding on Dec. 19-20. … Raeder and Grundahl have now led the team in scoring in eight of the Warhawks' nine games. … Raeder has been the team's top point-getter six times, which Grundahl has led the team in scoring twice. … Raeder heads into tournament play averaging a team-best 13.3 ppg, followed by Grundahl (9.9 ppg) and Emily Schumacher (8.3 ppg). … The Warhawks boast three players who have recorded 40 or more rebounds through nine games — Johanna Taylor (59. 6.6 rpg), Grundahl (45, 5.0 rpg), and Abby Belschner (43, 4.8 rpg). … Raeder has dished out a team-leading 22 assists, two more than Schumacher, with Grundahl (13), Yssa Sto. Domingo (13), Rebekka Schumacher (11), and Taylor (11) also owning 10 or more helpers. … Grundahl holds the team lead in steals with 17, and Veronica Kieres (12) and Taylor (11) are the team-leaders in blocked shots … As a team, the Warhawks are shooting 43.0 percent from the field (243-for-565) and are 122-for-162 from the free throw line. … UW-Whitewater has knocked down 42 3-pointers this season, led by Raeder with 12 and Emily Schumacher with eight. … The Warhawks are averaging 72.2 ppg and have scored 75 or more points in a game three times this season — including a season-high 111-point effort in drubbing Elmhurst 111-61 on Nov. 26. … The Warhawks' 111 points against Elmhurst on Nov. 26 were a school record, breaking the old mark of 108, set on Dec. 9, 1989.
 
Scouting The UW-Stevens Point Pointers:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• The Pointers head into their matchups against Saint Mary's and St. Thomas with a 4-5 overall record — including a 2-4 showing on the road. … UW-Stevens Point's 64-58 win over St. Norbert on Dec. 20 snapped the Pointers' season-high four-game losing streak. The Pointers opened the season with wins in three of their first four games, before dropping four straight. … UW-Stevens Point put three players in double figures in its streak-snapping win over St. Norbert on Dec. 20, led by Amber Baehman with 15 points. Taylor Greenheck and Bailee Collins chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively. … Greenheck missed a double-double by one rebound against the Green Knights on Dec. 20, adding nine boards to her 13-point performance. … Baehman has now led the team in scoring in four of their nine games. … The Pointers boast a pair of players who are averaging in double figures in scoring — Baehman (12.9 ppg) and Collins (11.4 ppg). … UW-Stevens Point has had a player score 20 or more points three this season — Baehman netted 20 against Northland on Nov. 12 and tallied 22 vs. Illinois Wesleyan on Dec. 9, while Collins poured in a season-high 26 points against Ripon on Dec. 13. … Baehman (45, 5.6 rpg), Greenheck (42, 4.7 rpg), and Jamie Pfeifer (42, 4.7 rpg) have all hauled in 40 or more rebounds through the season's first nine games. … Greenheck and Kellan Schmidt share the team lead with 23 assists, while Greenheck is also the team-leader in steals with 12 and Schmidt boasts a team-best 12 blocked shots. … As a team, UW-Stevens Point is shooting 43.9 percent from the field (207-for-472) and has hit on 129 of 182 free throw attempts. … The Pointers have drained 45 3-pointers, led by Carly Cerrato with 17 and Baehman with 15. … UW-Stevens Point is averaging 65.3 ppg, while limiting its opponents to 62.2 ppg. … The Pointers have eclipsed the 70-point barrier twice this season, netting 72 in a 72-58 win over Concordia-Chicago on Nov. 18, while erupting for a season-best 100 points in routing Northland 100-49 on Nov. 12. … The Pointers' 100-point effort against Northland was its first since beating Carroll 100-65 on Dec. 13, 2003.