By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as the Cardinals head to St. Catherine's Butler Center for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Wildcats.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-9 MIAC, 1-14 Overall) at St. Catherine Wildcats (4-6 MIAC, 7-8 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's­­ — January 20, 2020 * Claire Lynch Hall * St. Joseph, Minn.: Saint Benedict scored the final seven points of the second quarter — and the first three of the third — and the Bennies held the Cardinals at bay down the stretch in dealing Saint Mary's a 59-49 conference setback | Recap
• St. Catherine — January 18, 2020 * West Gym * Northfield, Minn.: The Wildcats held Carleton to just 11 first-half points, as St. Catherine rolled to a 50-39 conference road victory | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Catherine — Earlier This Year:
• December 4, 2019 * Saint Mary's Gym * Winona, Minn.: St. Catherine's Mary-Claire Francois scored on a layup with 8.7 seconds remaining, breaking a 77-77 stalemate and leading the Wildcats to a 79-77 conference victory | 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 the road for a third straight time this week on Saturday, heading to St. Olaf's Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference showdown with the Oles.
• St. Catherine: The Wildcats head across town on Saturday, making the trek to St. Thomas' Schoenecker Arena for a 3 p.m. matchup against the nationally ranked Tommies.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Wednesday's game at St. Catherine is the second 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. … Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) scored a team-high nine points, while Claire Patterson and Caily Landers (Palos Heights, Ill.) each chipped in 10 in the Cardinals' 59-49 loss to Saint Benedict Monday. … 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 last Saturday 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 Patterson (12). … Vesel heads into Wednesday's conference game at St. Catherine averaging a team-leading 15.8 ppg, while Paulson (12.9 ppg) is also averaging in double figures. … Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) holds the team lead in rebounds with 68 (5.2 rpg), followed by Vesel (59, 4.5 rpg), and Jada Biermeier (58, 3.9 rpg). … Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) is the team-leader with 38 assists, six more than Patterson, while Vesel boasts a team-high 24 steals. … Biermeier owns a team-high six blocked shots, followed by Vesel with five. … Paulson — who knocked down a single-game career-high seven 3-pointers against Augsburg on Jan. 5, 2019 — leads the team with 31 treys, followed by Vesel with 17. … The Cardinals are shooting 35.9 percent from the field (326-for-907) — including 81-for-308 from behind the 3-point line — and are 175-for-269 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 on Jan. 11 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 St. Catherine Wildcats:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Last Saturday's game at Carleton was the second of back-to-back road games for the Wildcats, who are in the midst of playing four of five contests away from Butler Center — the lone exception, Wednesday's matchup against Saint Mary's. … With their 50-39 win at Carleton on Saturday, the Wildcats head into their showdown with Saint Mary's having won three of their last four. … Bree Glynn and Cierra Ahif each scored eight points to lead the Wildcats in scoring against Carleton on Saturday. SCU got point production from nine of the 11 players who saw court time. … Danica Cambrice heads into Wednesday's rematch with Saint Mary's as the Wildcats' leading scorer, averaging 15.9 ppg. Katie Benjamin (113, 7.5 ppg), Jackie Radford (107, 7.1 ppg), and Glynn (107, 7.1 ppg) have also scored 100 or more points through 15 games. … Radford owns the team lead in rebounds with 104 (6.9 rpg), while also boasting a team-best 47 assists. … Cambrice and Radford share the top spot in steals with 22 each, one more than Ahlif, with Benjamin holding down the team lead in blocks with 13. … St. Catherine has netted 61 3-pointers, led by Mackenzie Kurczek with 14, Radford with 11, and Ahlif with 10. … As a team, SCU is shooting 36.9 percent from the field (316-for-857), while going 190-for-281 (67.6 percent) from the free throw line. … St. Catherine is averaging 58.8 ppg, while the Wildcats' opponents are scoring at a 58.9 ppg clip. … The Wildcats have scored 70 or more points three times this season — including a season-high 84-point effort in beating Concordia 84-68 on Jan. 11. … Four of St. Catherine's eight losses this season have been by eight points or less. … The Wildcats have played a pair of overtime games this season — beating Saint Mary's 79-77 in double-overtime in their first meeting on Dec. 4, while falling to Bethany Lutheran 84-76 in OT on Dec. 31.