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 Saturday, as the Cardinals host Concordia in a 3 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-2 MIAC, 0-4 Overall) vs. Concordia Cobbers (0-2 MIAC, 2-5 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's­­ — December 4, 2019 * Saint Mary's Gym * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals put four players in double figures — led by Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) and Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) with 18 each — but it was not enough, as St. Catherine scored the game-winning basket with 8.7 seconds remaining in the second overtime in handing Saint Mary's a 79-77 setback | Recap
• Concordia — December 4, 2019 * St. Joseph, Minn.: Mary Sem scored a career-high 25 points, but Concordia could not overcome an 11-turnover second quarter, as Saint Benedict dealt the Cobbers an 82-67 conference setback | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia — A Year Ago:
• December 5, 2018 * Saint Mary's Gym * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals, who gave up 23 second-quarter points and were staring at a 38-33 halftime deficit in their MIAC game against Concordia, came out of the break and scored 19 of the third-quarter's 24 points, turning that eight-point deficit into a 52-43 advantage — and an eventual 66-55 conference victory at the | Recap
• January 16, 2019 * Memorial Auditorium * Moorhead, Minn.: Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) beat the buzzer with a game-winning jumper, breaking a 66-66 tie and leading the Cardinals to a nail-biting, 68-66 conference win over the Cobbers | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on their home court on Wednesday, playing host to Macalester in a 7 p.m. MIAC contest.
• Concordia: The Cobbers return home to Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn., on Wednesday, entertaining Carleton in a 7 p.m. conference clash.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Saturday's game against Concordia is the second of three straight home games for the Cardinals. … Wednesday's 79-77 double-overtime loss to St. Catherine was the Cardinals' first overtime game of the season, and first since a two-point, 69-67 setback on Jan. 31, 2018 — also against St. Catherine. … Saint Mary's had not played a double-overtime game since beating Bethel 73-69 on Jan. 24, 2009. … Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) and Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) each scored 18 points to lead the Cardinals in their 79-77 double-overtime loss to St. Catherine Wednesday. … The Cardinals put a season-high four players in double figures against St. Catherine Wednesday. Joining Vesel and Paulson were Ewelina Schlomann (New Berlin, Wis.) and Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.), who netted 15 and 12 points, respectively. … The 15-point effort was a career-best for Schlomann, who also hauled in a career-high eight boards against the Wildcats. … Paulson or Vesel have now led the Cardinals in scoring in each of their first four games. … Paulson, who scored 17 of her 18 points after the third quarter, has now scored 10 or more points 16 times in her first two years as a Cardinal — including four games of 20 or more points. … With her 18-point effort against St. Catherine on Wednesday, Vesel has now scored in double figures in all four of the Cardinals' games this season. … Paulson heads into Saturday's game against St. Catherine averaging a team-leading 15.9 ppg, while Vesel (14.3 ppg) is also averaging in double figures. … Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) has hauled in a team-leading 23 rebounds (5.8 rpg) through four games, with Vesel second with 22 boards (5.5 rpg). … Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) is the team-leader with 10 assists, three more than Patterson, while Paulson (6), Vesel (5), Patterson (5), and Isabel Bettag ( / 5) lead the team in steals. … 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 11 treys, followed by Vesel with five. … The Cardinals are shooting 34.3 percent from the field (85-for-248) — including 20-for-87 from behind the 3-point line — and are 55-for-79 from the free throw line. … The Cardinals' 77-point effort in Wednesday's double-overtime loss to St. Catherine was a season high. … Saint Mary's enters Saturday's matchup against Concordia averaging 61.2 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 Concordia Cobbers:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Saturday's game at Saint Mary's is the second of back-to-back road games for the Cobbers, who have played four of their first seven games away from Memorial Auditorium. … Mary Sem scored a career-high 25 points — including 18 in the second half — in the Cobbers' 82-67 loss to Saint Benedict Wednesday. … Sem's 25-point effort against Saint Benedict was not only a career-high, but also the Cobbers' single-game season high. … Concordia has now had a different leading scorer in each of its last four games. … Bailee Larson also recorded a career-high in points against the Bennies on Wednesday, finishing with 12 points. … Sem, who has now scored in double figures in six of the Cobbers' first seven games, leads the team in scoring with a 14.7 ppg average. … Autumn Thompson also enters Saturday's matchup against Saint Mary's averaging in double figures, scoring at a 13.1 ppg clip. … Concordia boasts five players with 30 or more rebounds through seven games, led by Vanessa Kedl (40, 5.7 rpg), Elizabeth Birkemeyer (37, 5.3 rpg), and Emily Beseman (37, 5.3 rpg). … Beseman has dished out a team-best 15 assists, one more than both Thompson and Rachel Hoernemann, while Hoernemann boasts a team-best 16 steals. … Thompson has knocked down a team-leading 18 3-pointers, followed by Beseman with 10. … The Cobbers are shooting 40.3 percent from the field (157-for-190) — including a 45-for-146 effort from behind the arc — and are 92 of 138 from the free throw line. … Concordia has outscored its opponents 107-95 in the first quarter, but have been outscored in each of the other three — 142-119 in the second, 139-110 in the third, and 123-115 in the fourth. … The Cobbers, who are averaging 64.4 ppg, have scored 70 or more points three times — including a season-high 78-point showing in beating UM-Morris 78-63 on Nov. 8.