WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team kicks off its season at home Tuesday, as the Cardinals play host to UW-Platteville in a 7 p.m. nonconference game at the SMU Gym.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's University Cardinals (0-0 Overall)
UW-Platteville Pioneers (0-0 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats / Live Video / Video Preview / GameDay Program

Last Action:
Today's game is the season opener for both teams. The Cardinals did travel across town for an exhibition game against Winona State on Saturday, falling to the Warriors 82-50, while the Pioneers dropped an 85-30 exhibition decision to Northwestern on Oct. 31.

Last Meeting:
Tonight's matchup is the first-ever meeting between the Cardinals and the Pioneers.

Up Next:
The Cardinals head to Colorado Springs, Colo, for the two-day Colorado College Tournament on Saturday and Sunday. SMU will square off against host Colorado College in a 6 p.m. contest on Friday, then take on Hardin-Simmons University at 3 p.m. on Sunday. UW-Platteville, meanwhile, host the UW-Platteville Tip-Off Classic this weekend, squaring off against Wartburg on Saturday and the University of Dubuque on Sunday. Both games are scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) and Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) each scored in double figures against Winona State Saturday, with Miller tossing in 12 points, while Thone finished with 11. … Ten of Miller's 12 points came from the field (5-for-10, including one 3-pointer), while Thone nailed 6 of 9 free throws en route to her 11 points. … Miller — a First-Team All-MIAC selection a year ago — scored a team-high 350 points (14.0 ppg) last season, while also leading the team in scoring in 13 of their 25 games. … Miller enters tonight's game having started every game of her collegiate career — a span of 73 straight starts. … Miller scored 10 or more points in 20 of the team's 25 games last year, and netted 20 or more points three times last season — including a career-best 29 points on Dec. 7 against Gustavus. … Miller needs just 146 points to become the ninth SMU women's basketball player to score 1,000 career points. … Thone — named to the MIAC's All-First Year Team a year ago — accounted for three of the Cardinals' five 20-point performances last season (27, 22 and 21 points). Miller (29 points) and Cherie Kulig (Independence, Wis.) (24 points) were the other two. … The Cardinals recorded two double-doubles last season — Thone scored 13 points and added 11 rebounds vs. Bethel on Jan. 23 en route to her first collegiate double-double, while Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) put together a 16-point, 16-rebound effort vs. Hamline on Jan. 6. … Thone led the team in 3-pointers (45), while Kulig boasted a team-high 79 assists | 2009-2010 Overall Statistics

UW-Platteville Pioneers News and Notes:
The Pioneers are coming off a 12-13 season a year ago, while settling for a 5-11 mark in WIAC play. … This season is the first at UW-Platteville for coach Megan Wilson who was a member of UW-Stevens Point's national championship squad in 2002, and served as an assistant coach for the Pointers from 2005-09. … This year's squad features 11 returning letterwinners, but just two returning starters from last season's 12-13 club. Both Claire Poad (9.4 ppg) and Liz Lawinger (5.6 ppg) started in their freshmen seasons. Ten other players saw action, with a combined 12 starts between them. … After opening the season with wins in seven of their first eight games, UW-Platteville won just five of its last 17 contests | 2009-2010 Overall Statistics