By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team finally returns home to the Saint Mary's Gym on Wednesday, as the Cardinals entertain Augsburg in a 7 p.m. conference matchup
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-12 MIAC, 2-17 Overall) vs. Augsburg Auggies (12-2 MIAC, 16-3 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's­­ — February 1, 2020 * Memorial Auditorium * Moorhead, Minn.: Concordia outscored Saint Mary's 63-45 over the final 30 minutes in dealing the Cardinals a 76-60 conference setback | Recap
• Augsburg — February 1, 2020 * West Gym * Northfield, Minn.: Camryn Speese scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Auggies to a 97-90 overtime win over host Carleton | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Augsburg — A Year Ago:
• January 5, 2019 * Saint Mary's Gym * Winona, Minn.: Augsburg, which never led until four minutes into the game's final quarter, erupted for 25 fourth-quarter points — and held Saint Mary's without a basket for the game's final 4:20 — in knocking out the Cardinals 73-62 | Recap
• February 2, 2019 * Si Melby Hall * Minneapolis, Minn.: The Cardinals — coming off a red-hot 19-point second quarter that gave them a four-point, 33-29 lead at the half — managed just 14 second-half points, including two in the third quarter, as the Auggies dealt Saint Mary's a 61-47 conference setback | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on their home court at the Saint Mary's Gym on Saturday, as Saint Mary's plays host to Bethel in a 3 p.m. conference matchup.
• Augsburg: The Auggies return home to Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, entertaining Saint Benedict in a 3 p.m. MIAC showdown.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• After five straight road games, the Cardinals play their next two games on their home court — beginning Wednesday against Augsburg. Saint Mary's plays four of its final six games on their home court. … With their 20-point, 77-57 win over Macalester last 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.) — coming off a 26-point effort against Macalester last Wednesday — tossed in a team-high 13 points at Concordia last Saturday. … Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) also scored in double figures against the Cobbers last Saturday, finishing with 10 points. … 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 scored 20 or more points five times this season. … The Cardinals have had a player score 20 or more points in two of their last three games — Paulson tossed in a career-high 27 points against St. Olaf on Jan. 25. … 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 on Jan. 25 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 26 times in her first two years as a Cardinal — including seven games of 20 or more points. … Paulson's 27-point effort against St. Olaf on Jan. 25 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), Ewelina Schlomann (New Berlin, Wis. / 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 Wednesday's conference game against Augsburg 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 81 (4.8 rpg), followed by Vesel (74, 4.4 rpg) and Jada Biermeier (64, 3.4 rpg). … Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) is the team-leader with 44 assists, five more than Patterson, while Vesel boasts a team-high 38 steals. … Biermeier owns a team-high six blocked shots, followed by Vesel and Kedl 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 39 treys, followed by Vesel with 22. … The Cardinals are shooting 35.6 percent from the field (411-for-1154) — including 113-for-416 from behind the 3-point line — and are 234-for-349 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 61.5 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 Augsburg Auggies:
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 Auggies, who are 8-2 on the road, while going 8-1 at Si Melby Hall. … With last Saturday's overtime win over Carleton, the Auggies pushed their winning streak to four straight. Augsburg has won six of its last seven games — and have put together winning streaks of two, four, and five games (twice) this season. … Camryn Speese scored a career-high 29 points to lead three players in double figures in the Auggies' overtime win over Carleton last Saturday. Tamira McLemore chipped in 20 points and Jazmyn Solseth finished with 13. … Speese also recorded a team-high 12 rebounds against the Knights en route to her second double-double of the season and seventh of her collegiate career. … With her 20-point showing against Carleton last Saturday, McLemore has now scored 20 or more points four times this season. … McLemore (15.6 ppg) and Speese (13.7 ppg) are both averaging in double figures, while Speese and Solseth are the team's rebounding leaders with 114 (6.0 rpg) and 111 (5.8 rpg) boards, respectively. … Arianna Jones has amassed a team-leading 71 assists, while McLemore owns the team lead in steals (58) and Solseth has accumulated a team-high 12 blocked shots. … Augsburg has knocked down 170 3-pointers through 19 games, led by Aiza Wilson (50), McLemore (41), and Nicole Zielsdorf (23). … The Auggies are shooting 40.7 percent from the field (499-for-1225) — including 170-for522 from behind the 3-point line — while netting 236 of 368 free throw attempts. … The Auggies are averaging 73.8 ppg, while limiting their opponents to just 60.6 ppg. … Augsburg has scored 70 of more points in 12 of its 19 games, while eclipsing 80 or more points six times — including a season-high 101-point effort in dropping St. Scholastica 101-48 on Nov. 19. … The Auggies' 101 points against St. Scholastica on Nov. 19 were a single-game program record. … Augsburg's 97-90 win over Carleton last Saturday was the Auggies' second overtime game of the season. Augsburg also beat St. Thomas 69-65 on Dec. 11.