ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict basketball team is ready to play its third game in the past six days – with two more scheduled in the next five days – Monday when it hosts Saint Mary's. The 7 p.m. game is a makeup date from November.
 
Monday's game marks the 10th home game of the season for Saint Benedict, which has played just five road games. That is about to change, however, as the Bennies are on a three-game road trip starting Wednesday, and five of the team's next six games are on the road.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Saint Mary's has struggled to get into the win column this season, but has a pair of MIAC overtime losses where it kept things close. Five of the team's last eight opponents have been ranked in the top 25 in Division III. Shayley Vesel leads the team and is fifth in the MIAC in scoring, and she is also in the top 10 in the conference in steals per game.

LAST MEETING
Last Wednesday, CSB made the trip to Winona and snapped a six-gameskid witha  62-49 win against the Cardinals. Maddie Schmitz had a season-high 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead the team, which outscored Saint Mary's 18-6 in the first quarter to get off to a fast start, and held on for the win.

THE STORYLINE
CSB snapped its losing stream last week against the Cardinals, and the Bennies look to get back in the W column again Monday against SMU. With the MIAC season nearing the halfway point, CSB needs to find consistency and find ways to win to stay in the top six in the conference and earn a spot in the league's postseason tournament.

WHO TO WATCH
After a slow start to her junior year, Maddie Schmitz has been CSB's go-to player the last few games. After season-high marks in scoring and rebounds Wednesday, she had 10 points and seven rebounds Saturday in a loss to a top-15 Bethel squad. Sidney Schiffler has also played a big role for the team as of late, and is currently second on the team in scoring at 10.1 points per game. Alex Johnson remains second in the MIAC at 8.8 rebounds per game.