SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2022-23: 0-0 MIAC, 0-0 Overall

GUSTAVUS GUSTIES

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

2022-23: 0-0 MIAC, 2-0 Overall

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Live Stats * Streaming Video

SMU-GAC * A YEAR AGO:

L, 81-49 * W, 67-64 

Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Feb.19, 2022 * Winona, MN

St. Olaf * L, 62-57

GUSTAVUS * LAST ACTION:

Nov. 16, 2022 * St. Peter, MN

Simpson * W, 76-73

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Nov. 22, 2022 * St. Paul, MN

Macalester * 7 p.m.

GUSTAVUS * UP NEXT: 

Nov. 22, 2022 * St. Joseph, MN

Saint Benedict * 7 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their season-opener against Gustavus on Saturday on the heels of an 8-17 showing in 2021-22, including a 7-14 showing in conference play. Saint Mary’s fell to St. Olaf 62-57 in the opening round of the 12-team MIAC post-season tournament a year ago.

• IN THE POST-SEASON: The Cardinals made their 10th MIAC Playoff appearance and their first since 2018-2019. Saint Mary’s has reached the MIAC Playoff title game twice, falling to St. Thomas both times — 71-58 in 2014 and 77-65 in 2016.

• POST-SEASON HONORS: Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) and Izzy Goettelman (Winona, Minn.) landed MIAC post-season honors in 2021-22. After a pair of honorable-mention All-MIAC selections, Paulson was named First-Team All-MIAC this season, while Goettelman was named to the All-First-Year Team, while also earning honorable-mention All-MIAC honors.

• ROAD WARRIORS: Saint Mary’s opens its season with back-to-back road games at Gustavus and at Macalester, before returning home for three consecutive home contests. … The Cardinals finished 4-9 on their home floor a year ago, while also owning a 4-9 record away from the Saint Mary’s Gym.

• LEADING THE CHARGE: Paulson finished the 2021-22 season leading the team — and the conference — in scoring with an 18.2 ppg average. Goettelman was second with an 8.3 ppg scoring average, followed by Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis. / 8.0) and Ashley Streveler (Colby, Wis. / 7.0 ppg). … Paulson — who netted 10 or more points in 24 of SMU’s 26 games — led or shared the team lead in scoring in 22 of those 26 contests.

• CRACKING 20: Paulson closed out her 2021-22 campaign scoring 23 points in the Cardinals’ five-point MAIC Playoff loss to St. Olaf on Feb. 19, 2022. It was the 10th time she eclipsed the 20-point mark last season — including three of the final four games, and four of the last six. … Goettelman was the only other Cardinal with a 20+ point game last season, netting a career-best 22 against St. Scholastica on Jan. 29.

• NIGHT TO REMEMBER: Paulson enjoyed a night to remember against Gustavus on Feb. 2, 2022, scoring a career-high 32 points — the most by a Cardinal since Alexa Huisman netted 32 against Hamline on Jan. 20, 2018. She also became just the second player in program history to net eight 3-pointers in a game, joining Ashley Luehmann, who achieved the feat in against St. Catherine on Jan. 22, 2005.

• JOINING THE CLUB: With her sixth point against Gustavus on Feb. 2, Paulson became the 12th player in program history to score 1,000 career points — and the first since Brandi Blattner ’19 joined the 1,000=point Club in 2017-18. … Paulson closed out the 2021-22 season sitting 10th all-time with 1,154 career points. Next up on the list — Jessica Thone ’13, who is ninth with 1,158 career points, and Jess Miller ’03, who is eighth with 1203.

• DOUBLING UP: Paulson recorded four double-doubles— including a 25-point, 11-rebound showing vs. St. Olaf on Feb. 7, 2022 — and owns five double-doubles in her collegiate career.

• CAREER SCORING HIGHS: Saint Mary’s had seven players record career-highs of 10 or more points in a game — Paulson (32), Goettelman (22), Biermeier (19), Streveler (18), Valerie Higgins (Sioux Falls, S.D. / 13), Alyssa Coleman (Matteson, Ill. / 12), and Macey Petron (Royalton, Minn. / 11).

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Along with her team-leading 18.2 ppg scoring average, Paulson was also the team’s leader in rebounds with 176 (6.8 rpg), followed by Biermeier with 146 (5.6 rpg), Goettelman with 110 (4.2 rpg), and Macey Petron with 104 (4.3 rpg).

• BIG BOARD NIGHTS: Paulson had a career night against Hamline on Nov. 23, finishing with 12 rebounds, while Goettelman hauled in a career-best 10 boards against Augsburg on Jan. 10 — missing out on her first collegiate double-double by one point. … Paulson’s career-high 12-rebounds against Hamline on Nov. 23 were the most in a game since Rachel Kedl recorded 16 boards against Hamline on Jan. 11, 2020. … Biermeier’s 11-rebound effort against St. Scholastica on Jan. 29 equaled her four-year career high.

• RAINING IN 3s: The Cardinals’ 15 3-pointers against Concordia on Feb. 12, 2022 were a single-game school record, breaking the old mark of 14, originally set on Feb. 18, 2004 against St. Catherine and equaled — also against St. Catherine — on Jan. 22, 2005.

• FROM DOWNTOWN: The Cardinals’ school-record 15 3-pointers against Concordia last season marked the fifth time SMU hit 10 or more treys in a game. … Paulson — who accounted for eight of the team’s nine 3-pointers against Gustavus on Feb. 2 — led the team with 70 3-pointers, while Streveler was second with 41. Streveler hit five 3-pointers en route to her 15 points against Carleton on Jan. 8.

• FREE POINTS: Biermeier knocked down a season- and career-high 10 free throws on 12 attempts last season against Martin Luther, while Goettelman went 10-for-13 from the line against St. Scholastica. 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 a year ago 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.

• THREE’S COMPANY: Paulson, Goettelman, and Streveler accounted for 38 of the Cardinals’ 51 points in the Cardinals’ 65-51 loss to Bethel on Dec. 11, 2021 — including all 27 SMU points in the first half.

• RECORD-SETTERS: The Cardinals tied the school record for most 3-pointers in a season with 183, joining the 2003-04 at the top of the list. … SMU’s 603 3-point attempts shattered the old mark of 561, set during the 2017-18 season.

• BEST 10 MINUTES: The Cardinals’ 34-point second quarter against Carleton on Jan. 8, 2022 was its highest single-quarter performance since the NCAA went back to the quarter system prior to the 2015-16 season.

• RAINING IN POINTS: The Cardinals’ 85-point effort in their 85-58 win over Carleton on Jan. 8, 2022 were a season-high, and marked the second time SMU had netted 80 or more points in a game — having also tallied 80 in beating Martin Luther 80-74 on Nov. 15. … SMU’s 85 points are the most in a game since scoring 85 points an 87-85 overtime loss to Hamline on Jan. 11, 2020.

• WORKING OVERTIME: Saint Mary’s 75-71 loss to Hamline in the teams’ first meeting on Nov. 23, 2021 was its only overtime game of the year. The Cardinals played a single-season, program-record four overtime games during the 2019-20 season, including three that were decided by two points.

• AS A TEAM: The Cardinals shot 33.8 percent from the field (507-for-1499, with 183 3-pointers, and were 325 of 444 (73.2 percent) from the free throw line last season. … SMU averaged 58.5 ppg, while the Cardinals’ opponents scored at a 65.4 ppg clip. … Saint Mary’s finished with a season-high 71 field goal attempts in its 72-63 loss to St. Olaf on Dec. 8.

GUSTAVUS GUSTIES SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Gusties head into their conference-opening home game against Saint Mary’s riding a season-opening two-game winning streak, having dispatched of both UW-Stout (72-53) and Simpson (76-73).

• LAST TIME OUT: Gustavus avenged a season-ending 73-67 loss to Simpson in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, getting a team-high 17 points from Anna Sanders in posting a 76-73 win over the Storm last Wednesday at Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn. 

• HOME SWEET HOME: Saturday’s conference-opener against Saint Mary’s is the second straight home game for the Gusties, who won their home-opener against Simpson last Wednesday, and boasted a near-perfect 12-1 record at Gus Young Court a year ago.

• SEASON TO REMEMBER: Gustavus is coming off a stellar 2021-22 season in which the Gusties compiled a 22-5 overall record, placing second in the MIAC regular-season standings, and beating Augsburg in the MIAC Playoff title game. … GAC made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2018, when it advanced to the Sweet 16. Last year’s national tourney berth was the eighth in program history.

• LEADING THE CHARGE: The Gusties enter conference play boasting three players who are averaging double figures in scoring, led by Sanders at 16.5 ppg. Kyle Baranick (13.5 pp) and Rachel Kawiecki (10.0 ppg) are also averaging in double figures through GAC’s first two games. … Sanders scored a season-high 17 points in last Wednesday’s three-point win over Simpson.

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Kawiecki has hauled in a team-high 16 rebounds (8.0 rpg) — including 11 on the offensive end — while Sanders and Grace Benz have each collected 14 boards (7.0 rpg). … All 14 of Benz’s rebounds have been on the defensive boards. … Kawiecki recorded a season-best nine rebounds against Simpson last Wednesday.

• RAINING IN 3s: The Gusties have poured in 12 3-pointers through two games, led by Sanders with six. Baranick is second on the team with three treys, followed by Emma Kniefel with two and Lexi Schermann with one.

• LENDING A HAND: Morgan Kelly has dished out a team-leading seven assists, one more than both Baranick and Sanders. GAC has gotten at least one helper from 10 of the 13 players who have seen playing time this season.

• BLOCK PARTY: Kelly has accounted for five of the team’s 10 blocks this season, with Benz adding two and Baranick, Kawiecki, and Sanders owning one block each.

• BY THE NUMBERS: The Gusties are shooting 44.9 percent from the field (53-for-118) with 12 3-pointers and are 30 of 50 (60.0 %) from the free throw line. … GAC is averaging 74.0 ppg, while holding its opponents to just 63.0 ppg. … Gustavus has outscored its opponents 39-13 in the first quarter and 44-37 in the third, while being outscored 31-29 in the second and 45-36 in the fourth.