ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team, coming off a lengthy Christmas break, return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Saturday, traveling to Saint Benedict for a 3 p.m. conference contest against the league-leading Blazers.
The Records:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-3 MIAC / 2-5 Overall)
Saint Benedict Blazers (4-0 MIAC / 6-1 Overall)
Last Action: The Cardinals have been off since Dec. 13, when St. Thomas used a 15-3 run to end the second half to propel the Tommies to a
68-58 MIAC victory over the Cardinals at the SMU Gym. Saint Benedict, meanwhile, is also coming off a lengthy break, having not played since Dec. 9, when the Blazers outlasted Macalester
75-65 in St. Paul, Minn.
A Year Ago: Saint Benedict swept the teams' two conference games a year ago.
January 3, 2009: The Blazers used a 14-0 run to start the second half in handing SMU a
74-55 setback at the SMU Gym.
January 31, 2009: The Blazers scored more points in the second half (44) than the Cardinals could muster the entire game (41), as CSB cruised to a
70-41 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory in St. Joseph, Minn.
Saint Mary's Cardinal Notes: Renee Pecarina (Winona, Minn.) scored a career-high 17 points in leading the Cardinals in scoring vs. St. Thomas on Dec. 13. …
Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) — coming off a career 29-point night against Gustavus on Dec. 9 — chipped in 13 points, while
Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) recorded 11. … Miller's 13 field goals vs. Gustavus on Dec. 9 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. … With her 13-point effort vs. St. Thomas, Miller has now scored in double figures in five straight games. … Miller, who has started every game in her collegiate career — a span of 57 straight starts — enters today's game at Saint Benedict boasting a team-best 13.3 ppg average. … SMU netted a season-high 66 points in its Dec. 9 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.
Saint Benedict Blazers: CSB's 10-point win over Macalester was the Blazers' fourth straight. … Saint Benedict's 85-76 loss to UW-Stout at the UW-Stout Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 29 is the only blemish on the Blazers' schedule. … CSB is a perfect 2-0 on its home court, while going 4-1 on the road. … The Blazers have scored 70 or more points in six of their seven games. … CSB was held to a season-low 60 points in a 60-45 win over Bethel on Dec. 2. … Amy Stifter enters today's game as the team's scoring leader, boasting an 18.9 ppg average, while also averaging 4.7 rebounds-per-game. … Stifter has led the team in scoring in five of CSB's seven games. … Heather Gillund is also averaging in double figures (12.4 ppg), while also leading the team in rebounds (6.6 rpg). … CSB has outscored its opponents by 61 points (256-195) in the first half. … CSB is coming off a season in which they Blazers won the MIAC regular-season title — going 20-2 — while also winning the conference's post-season tournament crown. CSB advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, when the Blazers were eliminated by Washington University in St. Louis. … Head coach Mike Durbin, who picked up his 500th win as a head coach last season, enters his 24th year as the Blazers' head coach. Durbin holds a 526-138 coaching record, making him the winningest women's basketball coach in MIAC history.
