SAINT MARY'S CARDINALS 

(1-0 MIAC, 2-2 OVERALL)

Team Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

LUTHER NORSE

(1-1 A-R-C, 2-5 OVERALL)

Team Home |Roster | Stats | Schedule

Live Stats | Streming Video

LAST MEETING: Nov. 22, 2002 * L, 66-61

HEAD-2-HEAD: Series History

SAINT MARY'S LAST ACTION:

Nov. 23, 2021 * Hamline * L, 75-71 (ot)

LUTHER LAST ACTION:

Nov. 27, 2021 * Cornell * L, 62-55

SAINT MARY'S UP NEXT:

Dec. 1, 2021 * St. Benedict * St. Joseph, MN * 7:00

LUTHER UP NEXT: 

Dec. 1, 2021 * Wartburg * Waverly, IA * 7:00

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals enter Sunday’s final nonconference game of the season against Luther sitting at 2-2 on the season, sandwiching losses to UW-Stevens Point (73-59) and Hamline (75-71) around wins over Martin Luther (80-74) and Macalester (63-58).

• LAST ACTION: Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) scored 24 points and added 12 rebounds, and Izzy Goettelman (Winona, Minn.) added 13 points, but Hamline outscored the Cardinals 10-6 in the five-minute overtime period in dealing the Cardinals a 75-71 setback last Tuesday.

• HOME AGAIN: After three straight road games to open the season, Sunday’s game against Luther is Saint Mary’s second straight home contest. Following Sunday’s matchup, the Cardinals will play two straight road games at Saint Benedict and St. Scholastica, before closing out the 2021 portion of their schedule with back-to-back home contests against St. Olaf and Bethel.

• GREATER THAN 20: Paulson’s team-best 24-point showing against Hamline last Tuesday marked the second straight game in which the SMU senior has eclipsed the 20-point mark, having also netted 22 points in SMU’s 63-58 win over Macalester on Nov. 20. Paulson has now scored 20 or more points 10 times in her collegiate career.

• DOUBLING UP: Paulson’s 24-point, 12-rebound effort against Hamline last Tuesday was her first double-double of the season. Paulson posted her first collegiate double-double — also against Hamline — with 13 points and 11 rebounds on Feb. 27, 2021.

• CAREER HIGHS: Saint Mary’s has had four players recorded career-highs of 10 or more points in a game this season, including four — Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis. / 19), Ashley Streveler (Colby, Wis. / 18), Valerie Higgins (Sioux Falls, S.D. / 13), and Alyssa Coleman (Matteson, Ill. / 12) —  in the Cardinals’ 80-74 win over Martin Luther on Nov. 15. … Goettelman poured in a career-best 13 points against Hamline last Tuesday, while Paulson also had a career night against the Pipers with 12 rebounds.

• RAINING IN POINTS: The Cardinals’ 80-point effort against Martin Luther on Nov. 15 was its top offensive performance since scoring 85 points an 87-85 overtime loss to Hamline on Jan. 11, 2020.

• LEADING THE CHARGE: Paulson and Biermeier enter Sunday’s matchup against Luther averaging in double figures in scoring. Paulson owns a team-best 17.3 ppg average, while Biermeier comes in with a 12.8 ppg average. … Paulson and Biermeier have each scored 10 or more points in three of SMU’s four games, and one of the two has led the team in scoring in all four contests this season.

• HITTING THE BOARDS: Paulson is the team’s leader in rebounds with 35 (8.8 rpg), followed by Biermeier with 22 (5.5 rpg), and Streveler (16, 4.0 rpg). … Paulson has led or shared the team lead in rebounds in all four contests this season.

• FROM DOWNTOWN: The Cardinals rained in a season-high 10 3-pointers against Hamline on Tuesday, led by Paulson with five. Paulson leads the team with nine 3-pointers, while Streveler is second with six. SMU is shooting 34.3 percent from behind the arc this season (26-for-76).

• FREE POINTS: Biermeier knocked down a season- and career-high 10 free throws on 12 attempts against Martin Luther on Nov. 15. The 10 made free throws were the most by a Cardinal since Shayley Vesel went 10-for-13 from the charity stripe against Augsburg on Feb. 5, 2020. … Saint Mary’s 28 made free throws against Martin Luther on Nov. 15 were the most since netting 32 against Bethel on Feb. 27, 2014, while the Cardinals’ 35 free throws attempted were the most since attempting 35 vs. Macalester on Feb. 10, 2018.

• AS A TEAM: The Cardinals are shooting 37.3 percent from the field (84-for-226), with 26 3-pointers, and are 78 of 109 (71.6 percent) from the free throw line. SMU is averaging 68.0 ppg, while the Cardinals’ opponents are scoring at a 70.0 ppg clip.

• WORKING OVERTIME: Saint Mary’s 75-71 loss to Hamline on Nov. 23 was its first overtime game of the season. The Cardinals played a single-season, program-record four overtime games during the 2019-20 season, including three that were decided by two points.

• CARDINAL DEBUTS: Six of the 11 Cardinals who took the court against UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 9 were making their first collegiate appearances in a Saint Mary’s uniform. Goettelman led the “newcomers” charge, tossing in 10 points.

• MAC ATTACK: The Cardinals’ 63-58 win over Macalester on Nov. 20 was the 19th win against the Scots in their previous 20 meetings.

• FOR THE RECORD: The Norse enter Sunday’s nonconference game against Saint Mary’s sitting at 2-5 overall, while owning a 1-0 record in America Rivers Conference play.

• LAST ACTION: Coming off a two-point win over Coe on Nov. 23, the Norse came up short against Cornell on Saturday, falling to the Rams 62-55 in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Kalley Jones scored a team-high 19 points for Luther, while Kristen Elliott chipped in nine.

• STREAK-SNAPPER: With their 64-62 win over Coe on Nov. 23, the Norse put an end to a four-game losing streak. After opening the season with a 65-55 win over Martin Luther, Luther dropped decisions to Carleton (62-52), Cornell (57-53), Gustavus (74-57), and UW-Stevens Point (70-46), before their two-point win over Coe.

• ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Sunday’s game against Saint Mary’s is the second of three straight road games for the Norse. After opening the season with three consecutive home games, Luther is in the midst of playing five of six games on the road — the lone home contest in that stretch was their Nov. 23 meeting with Coe.

• LEADING THE CHARGE:  Fueled by her 19-point showing against Cornell on Saturday, Jones enters Sunday’s game against Saint Mary’s leading the team with a 10.8 ppg scoring average, while Elliott — who scored a season-high 20 points in Luther’s 64-62 win over Coe on Nov. 23 — is sitting at 10.4 ppg scoring average. … Elliott’s 20-point effort against Coe on Nov. 23 was not only her season-high, but was also the Norse’s top individual single-game performance of the year.

• GOING DEEP: Elliott has been Luther’s top long-range threat, netting nine of the team’s 33 3-pointers. Megan Miller is second to Elliott with seven treys, one more than Jordan Rubie.

• HITTING THE BOARDS: Luther boasts three players who own 30 or more rebounds through seven games, led by Lizzie Kauls with 62 (8.9 rpg). Jones has hauled in 46 boards (7.7 rpg), while Elliott is third on the team with 30 rebounds (4.3 rpg). … Jones owns the team’s top rebounding performance of the season, hauling in 11 rebounds against UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 20.

• LENDING A HAND: The Norse have amassed 66 assists, and have gotten at least one assist from 12 different players — led by Elliott with 15 and Kauls with 10.

• AS A TEAM: Luther is shooting 35.6 percent from the field (149-for-419) and has knocked down 33 3-pointers, while going 61 of 104 (58.7 percent) from the free throw line. The Norse are averaging 56.0 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at a 63.1 ppg clip. … Luther has scored 60 or more points twice, including a season-high 65-point effort in beating Martin Luther 65-55 on Nov. 8. On the flip side, The Norse have allowed 60 or more points in five of their six games, and allowed a season-high 74 points in falling to Gustavus 74-67 on Nov. 17