By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PETER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball is back on the road on Wednesday, as the Cardinals travel to Gustavus' Gus Young Court for a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup against the Gusties.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-4 MIAC, 1-9 Overall) at #21 Gustavus Gusties (6-0 MIAC, 10-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's­­ — January 4 * Robertson Center Gym * Arden Hills, Minn.: Saint Mary's managed just six points in the third quarter, as the 25th-ranked Royals outscored the Cardinals 21-6 — transforming a six-point nailbiter into a 21-point BU advantage — and held off a late rally to deal SMU a 78-62 MIAC setback | Recap
• Gustavus — January 4 * Gus Young Court * St. Peter, Minn.: Gustavus outscored St. Olaf 21-14 in the fourth quarter, as the Gusties picked up their 10th win of the season with a 65-56 home win | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus — A Year Ago:
• December 8, 2018 * Gus Young Court * St. Peter, Minn.: The Gusties headed into their conference showdown with the Cardinals unbeaten in four contests at Gus Young Court — and the Cardinals were determined not to be victim No. 5. Gustavus, however, had other ideas — scoring early and often and holding the Cardinals at bay down the stretch to deal Saint Mary's its first conference loss of the season, a 65-56 decision | Recap
• January 26, 2019 * Saint Mary's Gym * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's put four players in double figures — led by Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) with 16 points — as the Cardinals outlasted Gustavus 72-70 and earned a split in the team's two conference games this season | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on the road on Saturday, heading to Hamline's Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn., for a 3 p.m. MIAC matchup against the Pipers.
• Gustavus: The Gusties leave the friendly confines of Gus Young Court on Saturday, traveling to Bethel's Robertson Center Gym for a 3 p.m. conference showdown against the Royals.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Wednesday's game at Gustavus is the fifth of six straight road games for the Cardinals, who do not return to the Saint Mary's Gym until Jan. 15, when they host Saint Benedict in a 7 p.m. conference contest. … Four of the Cardinals' last seven games have been decided by five points or less — including a three-point, 82-79 loss to UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 30, a two-point, overtime win over Macalester on Dec. 11, a two-point, double-overtime setback to St. Catherine on Dec. 4, and a five-point loss to Concordia three days later. … Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) led the Cardinals in scoring against Bethel last Saturday, pouring in 23 points. It was the second straight game — and third time this season — that Vesel has scored 20 or more points in a game. … Vesel's other 20-plus point games this season include a 25-point effort against UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 30, and a season- and career-high 28-point showing in the Cardinals' 76-71 loss to 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. … Vesel has now scored in double figures in all 10 of the Cardinals' games this season. … Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) — coming off a career-high 23-point effort against UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 30 — chipped in 10 points against Bethel last Saturday. … The 25-point effort by Vesel and 23-point showing from Paulson against UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 30 marked the first time this season Saint Mary's has had two players score 20 or more points in the same game. … Paulson has scored 10 or more points 21 times in her first two years as a Cardinal — including five 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 at Gustavus averaging a team-leading 16.8 ppg, while Paulson (13.7 ppg) is also averaging in double figures. … Vesel owns a team-high 47 rebounds (4.7 rpg), with Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) second (46, 4.7 rpg) and Schlomann (36, 4.0 rpg) third. … Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) is the team-leader with 28 assists, six more than Patterson, while Vesel boasts team-highs with 20 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 24 treys, followed by Vesel with 16. … The Cardinals are shooting 36.6 percent from the field (223-for-610) — including 58-for-210 from behind the 3-point line — and are 121-for-177 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' 79-point effort in their 82-79 loss to UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 30 were a season-high. … Saint Mary's, which is averaging 62.5 ppg, has scored 70 or more points four times this season. … The Cardinals' 70-68 win over Macalester on Dec. 11 was its second overtime game of the season — marking the first time since the 2016-17 season that Saint Mary's has played two overtime games in the same year. … 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. … 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 Gustavus Gusties:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• The Gusties enter Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's ranked No. 17 in the latest D3hoops.com Poll. … Wednesday's showdown with Saint Mary's is the fourth straight home game for the Gusties, who are 5-0 on their home court this season. … With their 65-56 win over St. Olaf last Saturday, Gustavus pushed its winning streak to a season-high six games. GAC opened the season with four straight wins, before suffering its only loss of the season — a 41-37 setback vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Nov. 30. … Caitlin Rorman scored a team-high 16 points and Paige Richert and Ava Gonsorowski each chipped in 14 in the Gusties' win over St. Olaf last Saturday. … Along with her 14 points, Richert also delivered 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. … Rorman enters Wednesday's matchup against Saint Mary's boasting a team-leading 15.2 ppg scoring average. Gonsorowski is also averaging in double figures in scoring, sitting at 13.7 ppg. … Along with her team-leading 15.2 ppg scoring average, Rorman also leads the Gusties with 75 rebounds (6.8 rpg). … Gonsoroowski owns a team-leading 38 assists, followed by Gabby Bowling with 27 and Rorman with 24. … Bowlin also leads the team in steals with 29 — four more than Gonsorowski and five in front of Rorman — while Richert is the team-leader in blocks with seven. … The Gusties have knocked down 76 3-pointers through 11 games, led by Maddy Rice with 15, Gonsorowski with 14, and Marisa Gustafson with 12. … AS a team, the Gusties are shooting 45.7 percent from the field (295-for-645) and are 147-for-204 (72.1 percent) from the free throw line. … Gustavus is scoring at a 73.9 ppg clip, while holding their opponents to just 53.6 ppg. … The Gusties have scored 80 or more points five times this season — including a season-high 94 points in dropping Martin Luther 94-26 on Nov. 19.