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vs.
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Saint Mary's Cardinals
0-3 MIAC / 0-5 Overall
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St. Thomas Tommies
3-1 MIAC / 4-2 Overall |
Last Action: The Cardinals struggled from the field early and never recovered, as Gustavus handed SMU its fifth straight loss of the season,
75-40, Monday evening in St Peter, Minn. … St. Thomas, meanwhile, outscored Augsburg 6-0 down the stretch in securing a
52-47 victory over the Auggies Monday.
Last Meeting: The Tommies swept the teams' conference series a year ago. St. Thomas raced out to a 32-point second half lead, then held off a late, 20-2 SMU run to post a
78-62 MIAC win on Nov. 28. UST then completed the season sweep, getting a 3-pointer from Chelsea Wirtz with six seconds remaining to break a 52-52 tie and send the Tommies to the
55-52 victory.
All-Time Series Record: With their two wins a year ago, St. Thomas improved to 34-5 all time against the Cardinals.
Probable Starters:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-3 MIAC / 0-5)
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Pos. |
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#4 Jesa Hall (So., 1.2 rpg, 6.6 ppg)
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G |
#12 Cherie Kulig (So., 3.4 rpg, 10.0 ppg)
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G
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#34 Michelle Carne (Fr., 3.8 rpg, 7.4)
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G |
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#30 Jess Miller (So., 2.6 rpg, 10.2 rpg)
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F |
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#54 Jennifer Rietzler (Fr., 1.6 rpg, 2.6 ppg)
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F |
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St. Thomas Tommies (3-1 MIAC / 4-2)
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Pos |
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#3 Chelsea Wirtz (Sr., G, 1.0 rpg, 1.5 ppg)
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G
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#11 Becky Theisen (So., 2.7 rpg, 6.3 ppg)
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G
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#12 Jessica Katch (Sr., 5.3 rpg, 12.8 ppg)
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G
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#34 Sarah Smith (Fr., 4.2 rpg, 5.2 ppg)
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G
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#44 Kassie Robinson (Fr., 4.8 rpg, 8.8 ppg)
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P |
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Cardinal Notes: With Monday's loss at St. Thomas, the Cardinals saw their season-opening losing streak hit five straight. It's the second straight season in which SMU has opened 0-5. The Cardinals dropped their first six games a year ago. … SMU's four season-opening losses leave the Cardinals searching for their first win since a 63-48 win over St. Olaf on Feb. 2 — a span of 11 straight games (SMU closed out the 2007-08 season with seven consecutive losses). … The Cardinals' 65-50 loss to Macalester last Wednesday was the fourth straight conference-opening loss for the Cardinals, who have not opened MIAC play with a win since dispatching of St. Catherine 78-70 on Dec. 1, 2004. …
Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) scored a game-high 14 points in the losing effort vs. Gustavus Monday. It was the third time in SMU's five games that the Cardinal sophomore has led the team in scoring. … The Cardinals' first-half struggles continued against Gustavus, as SMU was held to 17 points in the opening 20 minutes, marking the fourth time in their five games that the Cardinals have been held to 20 points or less in the first half. … The Cardinals' 15-point first half vs. the Scots was SMU's lowest offensive output for a half since St. Thomas held the Cardinals to 13 second-half points in an 86-35 UST win on Nov. 29, 2006. … SMU was held to a season-low 40 points vs. the Gusties. It was the Cardinals' lowest offensive output since managing 32 points in a loss to Gustavus on Feb. 3, 2007. … The Gusties' 75 points, meanwhile, marked the third time in five games that SMU has allowed 75 or more points. … Today's game is the sixth of seven straight road games for the Cardinals, who do not play on their home floor until a Jan. 3 meeting against Saint Benedict. … With Monday's loss, the Cardinals are now 1-15 in their last 16 road games, with their lone road win a 57-54 victory over St. Olaf on Jan. 5, 2008.
Tommie Notes: St. Thomas is playing its fourth game in eight days tonight at home against SMU. … The Tommies will play seven of their next eight games at home — with the other just 15 blocks away at St. Catherine. … Jessica Katch had four of her team-high 14 points in a late 6-0 run Monday night to help the Tommies' hold off Augsburg, 52-47. … Katch, a senior, has 997 points in 84 career games and is looking to become the ninth Tommie woman to surpass 1,000 career points. Katch also has 567 rebounds, 271 assists, 225 steals and 61 blocks. … St. Thomas has won 10 of its last 11 conference road games, dating back to last January. … After opening the season with a two-point, 61-59 loss at Pacific Lutheran, the Tommies have rattled off wins in four of their last five games, including back-to-back wins over St. Olaf and Augsburg. … The Tommies have been held under 60 points in five of their six games, going 3-2 in those five games. UST is 17-2 over the past two seasons when scoring 61 or more points. … This season, the Tommies are allowing just 53.5 points a game.
