By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
MOORHEAD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals head to Concordia's Memorial Auditorium for a 3 p.m. showdown against the Cobbers.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-11 MIAC, 2-16 Overall) at Concordia Cobbers (5-7 MIAC, 7-10 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's­­ — January 29, 2020 * Leonard Center * St. Paul, Minn.: Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) scored 26 points and Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) chipped in 14, as the Cardinals got back on the winning track with a 77-57 conference road win over Macalester | Recap
• Concordia — January 29, 2020 * West Gym * Northfield, Minn.: Carleton scored four of the game's final five points, as the Knights dealt the Cobbers a 53-50 conference setback | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia — Earlier This Year:
• December 7, 2019 * Saint Mary's Gym * Winona, Minn.: Concordia scored 10 of the game's final 14 points to hand Saint Mary's a 76-71 setback — the Cardinals' second straight loss by five points or less | 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: After five straight road games, the Cardinals return home to the Saint Mary's Gym on Wednesday, entertaining Augsburg in a 7 p.m. conference matchup.
• Concordia: The Cobbers are right back in action on Monday, returning home to Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn., for a 7 p.m. contest against Hamline in a game originally scheduled for Jan. 18.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Saturday's game at Concordia is the fifth straight road game for the Cardinals, who close out the regular-season playing four of their final six games on their home court. … With their 20-point, 77-57 win over Macalester Wednesday, the Cardinals put an end to their 11-game losing streak, dating back to a 70-68 overtime win over the Scots on Dec. 11. … Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) scored a game-high 26 points and Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) netted 14 in the Cardinals' win over Macalester Wednesday. … Vesel's 26-point effort against Macalester was two points shy of her career-high 28-point showing against Concordia in their first meeting on Dec. 7. … Vesel has now scored 20 or more points five times this season. … The Cardinals have now had a player score 20 or more points in back-to-back games — Paulson tossed in a career-high 27 points against St. Olaf last Saturday. … 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's 27 points against St. Olaf last Saturday marked the second time this season the sophomore has recorded a career-high in scoring. She netted a then-career-best 26 points against Hamline on Jan. 11. … Paulson has scored 10 or more points 25 times in her first two years as a Cardinal — including seven games of 20 or more points. … Paulson's 27-point effort marked the second straight game in which the Cardinals' leading scorer finished with a career-high in points — Ashley Streveler (Colby, Wis.) scored a career-high 11 points to lead the Cardinals in their 55-53 loss to St. Catherine on Jan. 20. … With her 11-point effort against St. Catherine on Jan. 20, Streveler became the fifth different player to lead the Cardinals in scoring this season, joining Vesel, Paulson, Ewelina Schlomann (New Berlin, Wis.), and Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.). … The Cardinals boast four players who have scored a single-game career-high of 10 or more points this season — Vesel (28 v. Concordia on Dec. 7), Paulson (27 v. St. Olaf on Jan. 25), Schlomann (15 v. Macalester on Dec. 11), and Streveler (11 v. St. Catherine on Jan. 22). … Paulson netted 26 points and Vesel added 23 in the Cardinals' 82-80 overtime loss to Hamline on Jan. 11, marking the second time this season the Cardinal duo has each scored 20 or more points in the same game — Vesel tallied 25 and Paulson added 23 against UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 30. … The Cardinals put a season-high four players in double figures against St. Catherine in the teams' first meeting on Dec. 4 — Vesel (18), Paulson (18), Schlomann (15), and Patterson (12). … Vesel heads into Saturday's conference game at Concordia averaging a team-leading 15.9 ppg, while Paulson (13.1 ppg) is also averaging in double figures. … Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) holds the team lead in rebounds with 79 (4.9 rpg), followed by Vesel (73, 4.6 rpg) and Jada Biermeier (63, 3.7 rpg). … Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) is the team-leader with 42 assists, three more than Patterson, while Vesel boasts a team-high 36 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 38 treys, followed by Vesel with 21. … The Cardinals are shooting 35.8 percent from the field (391-for-1093) — including 104-for-387 from behind the 3-point line — and are 223-for-327 from the free throw line. … The Cardinals have netted a season-high 10 3-pointers three this season — vs. St. Olaf on Jan. 25, vs. Concordia on Dec. 7 and against UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 30. … Saint Mary's set a season-high for free throws made (23) against St. Olaf on Jan. 25. … 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 was a season-high. … Saint Mary's, which is averaging 61.6 ppg, has scored 70 or more points seven 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.
 
Scouting The Concordia Cobbers:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of back-to-back home games for the Cobbers, who are 4-3 on their home court, while going 3-7 away from Memorial Auditorium. … Wednesday's 53-50 loss to Carleton was the second straight loss for the Cobbers, who are 2-2 in their last four games. … The Cobbers' 53-50 loss to Carleton Wednesday marked the lowest combined point total (103) in a single game for CC this season. It was also the second time in the last three games that neither team scored more than 55 points in a game — Concordia beat Saint Benedict 53-52 on Jan. 22. … Autumn Thompson led a trio of Cobbers in double figures against Carleton Wednesday, scoring 15 points, while Bailee Larson added a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double and Mary Sem also finished with 10 points. … Larson's double-double was the second of her career and marked the fourth straight game in which the sophomore has led the team in rebounds. … Sem Thompson made four 3-pointers en route to her team-high 15 points against Carleton Wednesday and now has 44 treys for the season. Her 44 3-pointers are tied for 11th on the school's single-season 3-point list. Cathy Johnson holds the school record for 3-pointers in a season with 71 in 1991-92. … Sem enters Saturday's rematch with Saint Mary's averaging a team-high 14.3 ppg. She is one of three Cobbers averaging in double figures in scoring this season — Thompson (12.6 ppg) and Emily Beseman (10.8 ppg) are the other two. … Larson is the team-leader in rebounds with 109 (6.4 rpg), followed by Vanessa Kedl (84, 4.9 rpg) and Sem (76, 4.5 rpg). … Thompson and Beseman share the team lead in assists with 38, one more than Rachel Hoernemann, while Hoernemann boasts a team-best 23 steals and Kedl has amassed a team-leading 12 blocked shots. … The Cobbers are shooting 41.2 percent from the field (377-for-915) — including hitting on 116 of 350 3-pointers — while adding a 221-for-305 effort from the free throw line. … The Cobbers are averaging 64.2 ppg, and have scored 70 or more points five times this season — including a season-high 78-point effort in beating UM-Morris 78-63 on Nov. 8. On the flip side, CC's opponents have eclipsed the 80-point barrier five times, including Simpson's 96-point showing in dropping the Cobbers 96-58 on Nov. 29. …