By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Monday, as the Cardinals head to Saint Benedict's Claire Lynch Hall for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Bennies.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-8 MIAC, 1-13 Overall) at Saint Benedict Bennies (3-6 MIAC, 7-7 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's­­ — January 18, 2020 * Saint Mary's Gym * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals struggled from the field in the fourth quarter, being held to just three points, and No. 22 St. Thomas took advantage, pulling away to deal Saint Mary's a 60-35 MIAC setback | Recap
• Saint Benedict — January 18, 2020 * Claire Lynch Hall * St. Joseph, Minn.: Bethel outscored the Bennies 19-5 in the second quarter and CSB never recovered in falling to the No. 13 Royals 69-53 | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Saint Benedict — Earlier This Year:
• January 15, 2020 * Saint Mary's Gym * Winona, Minn.: Saint Benedict took advantage of the Cardinals' struggles to find their shooting touch in the game's opening 10 minutes, grabbing an 18-6 lead and never relinquishing it in dealing Saint Mary's a 62-49 conference 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 hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to St. Catherine's Butler Center in St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Wildcats.
• Saint Benedict: The Bennies return to action Wednesday, traveling to Concordia's Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference tilt with the Cobbers.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Monday's game at Saint Benedict is the first of five straight road games for the Cardinals, who are in the midst of playing 11 of 13 games away from the Saint Mary's Gym. … Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.) scored 10 points to lead the Cardinals in scoring in last Saturday's 60-35 loss to No. 22 St. Thomas. … Patterson's effort marked the second straight game in which the Cardinals' leading scorer netted 10 points. Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) and Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) each scored 10 points to lead the Cardinals in Wednesday's 62-49 loss to Saint Benedict. … Paulson posted a career-high 26-point effort in the Cardinals' 82-80 overtime loss to Hamline on Jan. 11, while Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) added 23 points, marking the second time this season the Cardinal duo has each scored 20 or more points in the same game — Vesel netted 25 and Paulson added 23 against UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 30. … Vesel has scored in double figures in 12 of the 13 games she's played in. … 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 23 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. … Patterson's 10-point effort against No. 22 St. Thomas and Schlomann's team-high 15-point showing against Macalester on Dec. 11 mark the only times 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 Monday's conference game against Saint Benedict averaging a team-leading 15.8 ppg, while Paulson (13.2 ppg) is also averaging in double figures. … Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) holds the team lead in rebounds with 60 (5.0 rpg), one more than Vesel and three in front of Biermeier. … Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) is the team-leader with 36 assists, seven more than Patterson, while Vesel boasts team-highs with 24 steals. … Vesel and Biermeier share the team lead in blocks with five each. … Paulson — who knocked down a single-game career-high seven 3-pointers against Augsburg on Jan. 5, 2019 — leads the team with 30 treys, followed by Vesel with 17. … The Cardinals are shooting 36.1 percent from the field (308-for-854) — including 76-for-287 from behind the 3-point line — and are 167-for-256 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. … Saint Mary's 82-80 loss to Hamline on Jan. 11 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. … The Cardinals' 80-point effort in their 82-80 loss to Hamline last Saturday were a season-high. … Saint Mary's, which is averaging 61.4 ppg, has scored 70 or more points five times this season. … The Cardinals have already played six games this season against teams ranked nationally — having faced No. 7 Wartburg, No. 8 UW-Oshkosh, No. 17 UW-Whitewater, No. 17 Gustavus, No. 22 St. Thomas, 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. … 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
• Monday's game at Saint Mary's is the second of back-to-back homes games for the Bennies, who have picked up four of their seven wins this season on their home court. … The Bennies — who snapped a season-high six-game losing streak with their 62-49 win over Saint Mary's in their first meeting last Wednesday — head into Monday's rematch having dropped seven of their last eight. CSB opened the second with six straight wins, before dropping each of its next six and going 1-1 in the last two. … Six of the Bennies' seven losses have been by 11 points or less. … Sidney Schiffler and Maddie Schmitz led the Bennies in scoring in Saturday's loss to No. 13 Bethel, netting 13 and 10 points, respectively. … The Bennies enter Monday's rematch against Saint Mary's boasting a pair of players — Megan Thompson (12.0 ppg) and Schiffler (10.1 ppg) — who are averaging in double figures in scoring. … Alex Johnson is also the team's rebounding leader with 123 (8.8 rpg) and has racked up a pair of double-doubles. … CSB boasts five players with 20 or more assists through 14 games, led by Thompson with 33 and Schiffler with 30. … Thompson also owns a team-leading 32 steals, while Alex Johnson has accounted for 30 of the team's 42 blocked shots. … CSB has drained 92 3-pointers this season, led by Schiffler with 28, Shae Olsen with 14, and Thompson with 13. … As a team, Saint Benedict is shooting 40.6 percent from the field (328-for-807) and have gone 160-for-238 (64.8 percent) from the free throw line. … Saint Benedict is averaging 64.8 ppg, while the Bennies' opponents are shooting at a 61.0 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.