By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as the Cardinals host St. Catherine in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-1 MIAC, 0-3 Overall) vs. St. Catherine Wildcats (0-2 MIAC, 2-3 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's­­—November 23, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: St. Olaf held the Cardinals to just 12 fourth-quarter points, as the Oles rallied from a one-point deficit to deal Saint Mary's a 70-61 setback in the teams' conference-opener at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• St. Catherine—November 26, 2019 * St. Paul, Minn.: Katie Benjamin scored a career-high 20 points, but it was not enough, as No. 14 Augsburg dealt the Wildcats a 62-57 conference setback at Butler Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Catherine — A Year Ago:
• February 13, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) scored 16 points and Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) chipped in 10, as the Cardinals kept their MIAC Tournament hopes alive with a convincing 71-56 win over St. Catherine at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on their home court at the Saint Mary's Gym on Saturday, entertaining Concordia in a 3 p.m. conference matchup.
• St. Catherine: The Wildcats are back on the road on Monday, heading to St. Olaf's Skoglund Center for a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown against the Oles.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against St. Catherine is the first of three straight home games for the Cardinals, who have played three of their first four games away from the Saint Mary's Gym. … Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) scored a game-high 21 points, while Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) and Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the Cardinals' 70-61 loss to St. Olaf on Nov. 23. … Paulson has now eclipsed the 20-point barrier four times in her collegiate career, adding games of 20, 20, and a career-high 23 points to Saturday's 21-point performance. … Paulson 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. … Paulson — last season's MIAC Co-Rookie of the Year, as well as an honorable-mention All-MIAC selection — has now scored 10 or more points 15 times in her first two years as a Cardinal. … With her 11-point effort against St. Olaf on Nov. 23, Vesel has now scored in double figures in all three of the Cardinals' games this season — including a season-high 18-point showing against nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh on Nov. 11. … Vesel's 18-point effort was five points shy of her collegiate best, a 23-point showing against Bethel on Feb. 3, 2018. … Paulson heads into Wednesday's game against St. Catherine averaging a team-leading 15.0 ppg, while Vesel (13.0 ppg) and Kedl (10.0 ppg) are also averaging in double figures. … Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) has hauled in a team-leading 18 rebounds (6.0 rpg) through three games — including 13 on the defensive end. Vesel is second to Biermeier with 16 boards (5.3 rpg). … Paulson owns the team lead in assists with six, one more than Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.). … The Cardinals are 56-for-186 (.301) from the field — including 15-for-68 from behind the arc — while going 40-for-54 (.741) from the free throw line. … Paulson, who drained five 3-pointers against St. Olaf last Saturday, leads the team with eight treys, followed by Vesel with four. … 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 St. Catherine Wildcats:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• St. Catherine's game against Augsburg on Nov. 26 was its third straight home game. … The Wildcats' five-point, 62-57 loss to No. 14 Augsburg was its second straight setback — and the third in the last four contests. … Two of the Wildcats' three losses this season have been by five points or less. Along with their five-point, 62-57 setback to Augsburg on Nov. 26, SCU dropped a 53-50 decision to University of Redlands on Nov. 9. … Katie Benjamin scored a career-high 20 points in the Wildcats' loss to No. 14 Augsburg on Nov. 26. Danica Cambrice, meanwhile, posted her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds against the Auggies. … St. Catherine heads into Wednesday's showdown against Saint Mary's boasting two players who are averaging in double figures in scoring — Cambrice (14.7 ppg) and Sam Orth (13.0 ppg). … Jackie Radford leads the Wildcats in rebounds with 41 (8.2 rpg), followed by Cierra Ahif (23, 4.6 rpg) and Bree Glynn (21, 4.2 rpg). … Jackie Radford is the team-leader with 16 assists, while sharing the team lead in steals (7) with Cambrice. … St. Catherine is shooting 34.7 percent from the field (91-for-262), while going 60-for-88 (68.2 %) from the free throw line. … The Wildcats have knocked down 19 3-pointers through five games, led by Radford with eight. … St. Catherine is averaging 52.2 ppg — and has yet to score 60 points in a game this season. SCU netted a season-high 58 points in beating Chapman 58-42 to open the season. On the flip side, the Wildcats have only allowed one team to break the 60-point barrier — Augsburg in its 62-57 win on Nov. 26.