WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team, coming off hard-fought 74-66 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at home against Gustavus on Monday, are back in action — following an initial postponement due to Wednesday's snowstorm — on Sunday, playing host to St. Thomas in a 7:30 p.m. conference game at the SMU Gym.
The Records:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-2 MIAC / 2-4 Overall)
St. Thomas Tommies (2-1 MIAC / 5-1 Overall)
Last Action: The Cardinals got a career effort from
Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.), but it was not enough, as Gustavus held off the Cardinals en route to a
74-66 victory at the SMU Gym Monday night. St. Thomas, meanwhile, got a double-double from Rachel Booth in beating Augsburg
78-63 Monday evening in St. Paul, Minn.
A Year Ago: St. Thomas swept the teams' two conference games a year ago.
December 10, 2008: SMU managed just 18 points over the game's opening 20 minutes, and the Cardinals weren't much better in the second half — scoring just 22 — as St. Thomas rolled to a
102-40 conference win at UST's Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minn.
February 2, 2009: After giving up 102 points in the teams' first meeting on Dec. 10, the Cardinals limited the high-scoring Tommies to just 54 points in the teams' conference rematch. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, while their defense was impressive, their offense left something to be desired, as SMU managed just 41 points of their own in falling to the Tommies
54-41.
Saint Mary's Cardinal Notes: Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) enjoyed a career night against the Gusties on Monday, scoring a career-best 29 points on 13 of 14 shooting from the field and a 3-for-4 effort from the free throw line. … Miller's 13 field goals were just two shy of the single-game record of 15, accomplished most recently by Tricia Rasmussen against UW-Oshkosh during the 1992-93 season. Her 29 points were 13 shy of the team's single-game record of 42, also set by Rasmussen against UW-Oshkosh. … Miller's 29-point effort was six points better than her previous career best 23-point showing against Bethel on Jan. 24, 2009. … Miller's 29 points also marked the third time in her collegiate career she has netted 20 or more points. … Miller has now scored in double figures in four straight games. …
Cherie Kulig (Independence, Wis.) chipped in 10 points against Gustavus — marking the third straight game in which the two have both netted 10 or more points. … Kulig also dished out a career-best eight assists vs. the Gusties. … Miller, who has started every game in her collegiate career — a span of 56 straight starts — enters tonight's game vs. St. Thomas boasting a team-best 13.3 ppg average, while Kulig is close behind at 10.5 ppg. … SMU netted a season-high 66 points in Monday's loss to Gustavus, while their 26 field goals made, 11 free throws made 16 free throws attempted and four blocked shots were also season bests. … After three straight road games to open the season, tonight's game is the fourth straight home game for the Cardinals.
St. Thomas Tommie Notes: UST has won 15 of its last 18 games, including Monday's win over Augsburg. … St. Thomas was conference co-champ in 2007-08 en route to a 20-win season, and placed third last season in the MIAC race while winning 19 games overall. … The Tommies were picked to take first in the 2009-2010 race in the conference preseason coaches' poll and have started 2-1 in the MIAC and 5-1 overall... UST's last six wins, dating back to last season, have come on five different courts. … The Tommies are 2-0 this season on the road. … Rachel Booth, a transfer from St. Cloud State, leads the team in both scoring and rebounds at 15 ppg and 9.6 rpg, while Ali Johnson is scoring at a 10.7 ppg clip off the bench. … Since January, 2007, the Tommies are 46-15 in conference play. … UST's opponents averaged just 56.8 ppg last season and shot only 33.5 percent from the field. … UST's graduation losses included four-year starter Jessica Katch, the first conference women's player to reach 1,250 points, 700 rebounds, 350 assists, 275 steals and 90 blocked shots. … UST is converting 77 percent at the foul line — which, surprisingly, ranks only fifth-best in the conference.
