SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023-24: 0-10 MIAC, 2-12 Overall

ST. CATHERINE WILDCATS

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2023-24: 6-3 MIAC, 9-4 Overall

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SMU-SCU * LAST MEETING:

Nov. 17, 2023 * St. Paul, MN

L, 83-45 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 10, 2024 * Winona, MN

#6/7 Gustavus * L, 74-32

ST. CATHERINE * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 13, 2024 * St. Paul, MN

Saint Benedict * W, 86-75

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Jan. 17, 2024 * St. Joseph, MN

Saint Benedict * 7 p.m.

ST. CATHERINE * UP NEXT: 

Jan. 17, 2024 * Moorhead, MN

Concordia * 7 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their nonconference matchup against MIAC foe St. Catherine sitting at 2-12 overall, including 0-10 in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Saint Mary’s struggled to find its footing against high-powered Gustavus on Wednesday, falling behind 21-2 — and the Cardinals never recovered, as the nationally ranked and league-leading Gusties handed SMU a 74-32 MIAC setback at the SMU Gym.

• ROAD TRIP: After back-to-back home games, Monday’s matchup against St. Catherine is the first of two straight road contests for the Cardinals, who head to Saint Benedict on Wednesday, before returning home to face St. Olaf on Saturday. … The Cardinals have picked up both of their wins this season on their home court. Saint Mary’s is 2-6 at home this season, while still searching for their first win (0-6) away from the Saint Mary’s Gym.

• CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD: Grace Schaffer (Farmington, Minn.) heads into the Cardinals’ conference contest against St. Catherine leading the team in scoring, owning a 9.9 ppg scoring average. … Schaffer has led or shared the team lead in scoring in five of their last nine games.

• GREATER THAN 20: With Schaffer’s 23-point effort against St. Olaf on Dec. 2 and Izzy Goettelman’s (Winona, Minn.) 20-point performance against Martin Luther on Nov. 11, Saint Mary’s has now had a player score 20 or more points in a game 12 times over the past two seasons. … Goettelman has netted 20+ points four times in her collegiate career.

• CAREER SCORING HIGHS: Saint Mary’s has had six players record career scoring highs of 10 or more points in a game this season. Schaffer delivered a career-best 23 points against St. Olaf on Dec. 2, Zoe Fink (Stevens Point, Wis.) tallied a career-best 14 against Augsburg on Jan. 3, Maddie Wall (Cameron, Wis.) poured in a career-best 12 against Bethel on Dec. 9, Lindsey Lettner (Trempealeau, Wis.) tallied a career-high with 12 points against Saint Benedict on Nov. 29, and Riley Schiernbeck’s (Ida Grove, Iowa) 11-point effort against Northland on Nov. 14 was also a career high. … The Cardinals had six players record career-highs of 10 or more points last season — including returners Goettelman (23 points), Alyssa Coleman (Matteson, Ill. / 17), Katelyn Cruze (Litchfield, Minn. / 14), and Schaffer (11).

• SPREADING THE WEALTH: The Cardinals got scoring from 12 different players in their 78-30 win over Northland on Nov. 14. … SMU finished 2022-23 with two games in which 10 or more players scored. SMU received at least three points from 10 of the 11 players who took the court against Carleton on Dec. 3, and got scoring from 12 different players in their 83-69 win over St. Scholastica on Feb. 4.

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Kali Olson (New York Mills, Minn.) has pulled down a team-leading 69 rebounds (5.3 rpg), with Schaffer close behind with 68 boards (4.9 rpg). The duo are two of four players with 50 or more rebounds, being joined by Cruze (66, 4.7 rpg) and Schiernbeck (52, 4.0 rpg). … SMU has had a player reach double figures in rebounds four times this season. Olson grabbed 10 rebounds against Macalester on Jan. 6 and added a 13-rebound effort against Elmhurst on Dec. 29, while Goettelman posted 13 boards against Martin Luther on Nov. 11, and Schaffer pulled down 10 boards against Concordia on Dec. 4. … The 13-rebound performances by Olson and Goettelman, and the 10-rebound showing by Schaffer, were all career-highs.

• DOUBLING UP: Schaffer picked up her first collegiate double-double with her 15-point, 10-rebound showing against Concordia on Dec. 4. She is the second SMU player with her first collegiate double-double this season, being joined by Goettelman, who tallied 20 points and 13 boards against Martin Luther on Nov. 11. … Olson missed out on her first collegiate double-double against Macalester last Saturday, 

• FROM BEYOND THE ARC: Saint Mary’s has knocked down 65 3-pointers through 14 games. Wall — who drained both of SMU’s treys against Gustavus on Wednesday — shares the team lead in 3-pointers (12) with Fink, followed by followed by Schaffer with 11. … Fink knocked down a single-game season-high four treys against Augsburg on Jan. 3, while, as a team, the Cardinals also delivered a season-best nine 3s against the Auggies.

• LENDING A HAND: SMU boasts five active players who have reached double figures in assists, led by Fink with 19, two more than both Wall and Schaffer. Lettner has delivered 16 helpers, with Cruze chipping in 11. … Fink dished out a single-game, season-high five assists against Northland on Nov. 14. … As a team, Saint Mary’s has dished out 113 helpers, with 11 different players recording at least one assist.

• NOT-SO-CLOSE CALL: The Cardinals’ 48-point, 78-30 win over Northland on Nov. 14 was their most-lopsided victory since a 54-point, 88-34 win over Crown on Nov. 21, 2015. … Northland’s 30 points scored on Nov. 14 were the fewest allowed by the Cardinals since holding Crown to 29 in a 107-29 victory on Nov. 23, 2013, while the LumberJills’ six-point second and third quarters were the fewest points allowed by SMU since the NCAA went back to the quarter system prior to the 2015-16 season.

• PROGRAM FIRST: SMU’s Nov. 14 game against Northland was the first between the two teams in program history. It’s the third time in the last two seasons Saint Mary’s has faced an opponent for the first time. The Cardinals’ games against Penn State Behrend and Massachusetts Institute of Technology at last season’s Music City Classic marked the first time in program history that the teams had met on the basketball court. SMU fell to Penn State Behrend 71-65, while knocking off MIT 60-53.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS:The Cardinals are shooting 32.7 percent from the field (263-for-804), with 65 3-pointers, and have drained 135 of 218 free throws (61.9 %). … SMU is averaging 51.9 ppg, while its 14 opponents are scoring at a 66.1 ppg clip. … Saint Mary’s 78 points against Northland on Nov. 14 were a season-high. … The Cardinals eclipsed the 80-point twice last season — netting 81 in an 81-67 win over Carleton on Dec. 3, 2022, while tallying a season-best 83 points in beating St. Scholastica 83-69 on Feb. 4, 2023.

ST. CATHERINE SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Wildcats head into their Monday nonconference matchup against Saint Mary’s sitting at 9-4 overall, including sporting a 6-3 mark in nine MIAC contests.

• LAST TIME OUT: Hattie Fox scored a team-high 21 points and Emme Golembiewski chipped in 19, but it took two overtime periods to secure the Wildcats’ win over Saint Benedict last Saturday, as SCU outscored CSB 16-5 in the second extra session to earn an 86-75 victory at Butler Center in St. Paul, Minn.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Monday’s matchup against Saint Mary’s is St. Catherine’s second straight home game, having faced Saint Benedict on their home court two days ago. SCU, which is 4-2 at home, will play its next two games — against Concordia and Macalester — away from Butler Center Gym, where the Wildcats are 5-2. 

• STREAKING: With their double-overtime win over Saint Benedict last Saturday, the Wildcats enter Monday’s matchup riding a season-high five-game winning streak. SCU also owns a three-game win streak this season, and the Wildcats have lost back-to-back games just once all season — falling to Concordia (75-67) on Nov. 29 and losing to Hamline (73-56) a week later.

• CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD: St. Catherine boasts two players who are averaging in double figures in scoring. Fox leads the SCU offensive charge, boasting a 15.3 ppg scoring average, followed closely by Greta Schimnowski, who owns an 11.0 ppg scoring average. … Fox has scored 10 or more points in 11 of the team’s 13 games and has post3ed 20+ points three times — including a season-high 22-point effort against St. Olaf on Jan. 6. 

• LEADING THE CHARGE: Fox or Schimnowski have led, or shared the team lead, in scoring in all 13 games this season. Fox has been the team’s scoring leader nine times, with Schimnowski leading the way in the other four games.

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Golembiewski has already eclipsed the century mark in rebounds through the season’s first 13 games, hauling in 103 boards (7.9 rpg). Fox (77, 5.9 rpg), Maddie Young (62, 4.8 rpg), and Schimnowski (53, 4.1 rpg) have all delivered 50+ rebounds this season. … Golembiewski has hauled in 10 or more rebounds in a team-high three games, while Fox owns the Wildcats two double-doubles — 16 points and 12 rebounds against Edgewood on Nov. 11 and 15 points and a season-high 14 boards against Augsburg on Jan. 10.

• FROM BEYOND THE ARC: St. Catherine has poured in 81 3-pointers through 13 games, led by Schimnowski, who has drained 32 3s on 68 attempts (47.1 %). Fox (11) and Rachel Randleman (10) have also reached double figures in 3-pointers this season. … SCU has knocked down a season-high eight 3-pointers four times, with Schimnowski drilled a season-high five of SCU’s eight treys against Buena Vista on Dec. 30.

• LENDING A HAND: St. Catherine has gotten at least one assist from 15 of the 16 players who have taken the court this season. Karis Zezza leads the team with 32 helpers, followed by Kaylee Miron with 24, Golembiewski with 17 and Randleman with 15. … Miron dished out a single-game season-high eight helpers against Buena Vista on Dec. 30.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS:As a team, St. Catherine is shooting 36.8 percent from the field (301-for-819), with 81 3-pointers, and is 199-for-265 (75.1 %) from the free throw line. … SCU is averaging 67.8 ppg, while the Wildcats’ opponents are scoring at a 60.4 ppg clip. … St. Catherine has scored 70 or more points five times, and have reached the 80-point mark on three occasions — including a season-high 86-point effort in last Saturday’s double-overtime win over Saint Benedict. …