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 entertain Saint Benedict in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-6 MIAC, 1-11 Overall) vs. Saint Benedict Bennies (2-5 MIAC, 6-6 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's­­ — January 11, 2020 * Hutton Arena * St. Paul, Minn.: Hamline's Lydia Lecher knocked down two free throws with eight seconds remaining in overtime, lifting the Pipers to an 87-80 conference win over the Cardinals | Recap
• Saint Benedict — January 11, 2020 * Schoenecker Arena * St. Paul, Minn.: The Bennies led by three points with less than four minutes to play — and were tied with No. 22 St. Thomas with less than three minutes remaining in regulation — but the Tommies outscored CSB 9-1 down the stretch in dealing CSB a 64-56 setback | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Saint Benedict — A Year Ago:
• December 12, 2018 * St. Joseph, Minn.: Saint Mary's scored nine of the game's first 11 points and never relinquished the lead in rolling to a 77-51 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over the Bennies at Claire Lynch Hall | Recap
• January 23, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals got double-doubles from both Brandi Blattner and Abby Winter, and Saint Mary's held off a late Saint Benedict charge en route to a 66-60 MIAC win at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are right back on their home court on Saturday, playing host to nationally ranked St. Thomas in a 3 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• Saint Benedict: The Bennies return to action on Saturday, returning home to Claire Lynch Hall in St. Joseph, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference showdown with Bethel.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• After six straight road games, Wednesday's contest against Saint Benedict is the first of back-to-back home games for the Cardinals. … Last Saturday's 82-80 loss to Hamline was the Cardinals' third overtime game of the season. The three overtime games are the most since Saint Mary's went into OT three times during the 1997-98 campaign. … All three of Saint Mary's OT games have been decided by two points — the Cardinals beat Macalester 70-68 in OT on Dec. 11, while falling to St. Catherine 79-77 in double overtime on Dec. 4, and losing to Hamline 82-80 last Saturday. … 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. … Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) scored a career-high 26 points in the Cardinals' 82-80 overtime loss to Hamline last Saturday, while Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) chipped in 23. … Vesel and Paulson have now both scored 20 or more points in the same game twice this season — Vesel netted 25 and Paulson added 23 against UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 30. … Vesel has now scored in double figures in all 12 of the Cardinals' games this season. … Vesel has scored 20 or more points four times this season — netting 23 against Hamline last Saturday, 23 against Bethel on Jan. 4, and 25 against UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 30 and a season- and career-high 28-point showing vs. Concordia on Dec. 7. … Vesel's 28-point effort against Concordia on Dec. 7 was the highest individual single-game total since Alexa Huisman poured in 32 against Hamline on Jan. 20, 2018. … Paulson has scored 10 or more points 22 times in her first two years as a Cardinal — including six games of 20 or more points. … 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 Paulson has not led the team in scoring. … 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 Wednesday's conference game against Saint Benedict averaging a team-leading 17.1 ppg, while Paulson (14.2ppg) is also averaging in double figures. … Vesel owns a team-high 58 rebounds (4.8 rpg), with Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) second (53, 4.4 rpg) and Schlomann third (45, 4.1 rpg). … Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) is the team-leader with 30 assists, three more than Patterson, while Vesel boasts team-highs with 24 steals. … Vesel and Biermeier share the team lead in blocks with four each. … Paulson — who knocked down a single-game career-high seven 3-pointers against Augsburg on Jan. 5, 2019 — leads the team with 27 treys, followed by Vesel with 17. … The Cardinals are shooting 36.8 percent from the field (275-for-748) — including 68-for-249 from behind the 3-point line — and are 157-for-232 from the free throw line. … The Cardinals have netted a season-high 10 3-pointers twice this season — vs. Concordia on Dec. 7 and against UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 30. … The Cardinals' 80-point effort in their 82-80 loss to Hamline last Saturday were a season-high. … Saint Mary's, which is averaging 64.6 ppg, has scored 70 or more points five times this season. … The Cardinals have already played five games this season against teams ranked nationally — having faced No. 7 Wartburg, No. 8 UW-Oshkosh, No. 17 UW-Whitewater, No. 17 Gustavus, and No. 25 Bethel. … With their 70-68 MIAC win over Macalester on Dec. 11, the Cardinals snapped their season-opening five-game losing streak. … Five of the Cardinals' 11 losses have been decided by five points or less. … 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 Saint Benedict Bennies:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Wednesday's game at Saint Mary's is the second of back-to-back road games for the Bennies, who are 2-2 on the road, while sporting a 4-4 record on their home court at Claire Lynch Hall. … Last Saturday's 64-56 loss to No. 22 St. Thomas pushed Saint Benedict's losing streak to six. CSB opened the second with six straight wins, before dropping each of its last six contests. … All six of the Bennies' losses have been by 11 points or less. … Maddie Schmitz scored 13 points to pace the Bennies against St. Thomas last Saturday, while Madison Doran chipped in a career-best 10 points. … The Bennies enter Wednesday's matchup against Saint Mary's boasting a pair of players — Megan Thompson (12.2 ppg) and Alex Johnson (10.8 ppg) — who are averaging in double figures in scoring. … Johnson is also the team's rebounding leader with 108 (9.0 rpg) and has racked up a pair of double-doubles. … CSB boasts five players with 20 or more assists through 12 games, led by Thompson with 32 and Sidney Schiffler with 27. … Thompson also owns a team-leading 27 steals, while Johnson has accounted for 27 of the team's 36 blocked shots. … CSB has drained 82 3-pointers this season, led by Schiffler with 25, Shae Olsen with 13, and Thompson with 11. … As a team, Saint Benedict is shooting 40.9 percent from the field (284-for-695) and have gone 143-for-209 (68.4 percent) from the free throw line. … Saint Benedict is averaging 66.0 ppg, while the Bennies' opponents are shooting at a 61.4 ppg clip. … CSB has scored 70 or more points three times this season — including a season-high 85-point effort in routing UW-River Falls 85-51 on Nov. 11.