COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team, coming off a 69-60 nonconference win over UW-Platteville in its season opener on Tuesday, hits the road on Friday and Saturday, taking part in the Colorado College Tip-Off Tournament.



The Teams:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-0 Overall)
Colorado College Tigers (0-1 Overall)
Hardin-Simmons Cowgirls (0-0 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals got a team-high 19 points from Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.), as they opened their season on a winning note, beating UW-Platteville 69-60 in a nonconference game at the SMU Gym Tuesday. Colorado College, meanwhile, kicked off its season with an 89-39 setback against Mesa State on Wednesday, while Saturday's game against Saint Mary's will be the season opener for Hardin-Simmons.

Last Meeting:
The last time the Cardinals participated in the Colorado College Tip-Off Tournament was to open the 2004-2005 season, when SMU beat Cal Lutheran (84-65) and Colorado College (72-54). SMU and Hardin-Simmons have not previously met.

Up Next:
Following the two-day tournament, the Cardinals are off until Dec. 1, when they travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to kick off the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference season with a 7:30 p.m. game against Augsburg. Colorado College, meanwhile, hosts its second straight weekend tournament on Nov. 27-28, hosting Chapman, Nebraska-Wesleyan and Finlandia in the Colorado College Thanksgiving Tournament. Hardin-Simmons is back in action on Nov. 27, traveling to Texas-Tyler for a 6 p.m. contest

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
With their win over UW-Platteville Tuesday, the Cardinals picked up their first season-opening victory since beating Willamette 56-43 at the Bon Appetite Classic to kick off the 2006-2007 season. … Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) scored a game-high 19 points against UW-Platteville on Tuesday. Miller — a First-Team All-MIAC selection a year ago — has now scored in double figures in 21 of her last 25 games. … Miller needs just 127 points to become the ninth SMU women's basketball player to score 1,000 career points. … Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) also scored in double figures against the Pioneers Tuesday, scoring 10 points and adding a team-best seven rebounds. … Brittany Begrowicz (Des Plaines, Ill.), Cherie Kulig (Independence, Wis.) and Kim Kaminski (Milwaukee, Wis.) all added nine points vs. UW-Platteville. … The Cardinals were 19 of 22 from the free throw line, including hitting their last 15 in a row. … The Cardinals begin a six-game road trip with their two games at the Colorado College Tournament this weekend. SMU's next home game is Dec. 12 against Concordia | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Colorado College Tigers News and Notes:
The Tigers are coming off a 12-13 season a year ago in which they dropped eight of their last nine games. … Seven of Colorado College's 12 wins came during a 7-1 start to the season. … CC returns three starters from a year ago, including leading scorer and rebounder Becky Luetjen, who finished fourth in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in scoring (16.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.8 rpg), while also ranking in the top 10 in steals (2.0 spg) and blocked shots (1.2 bpg). … Luetjen was held to just four points against Mesa State Wednesday, while Alyssa Aldaz and Jenny Knapp netted seven points to the lead way for the Tigers. … CC shot just 28 percent from the field in their season-opener vs. Mesa State, hitting just 14 of its 50 field-goal attempts — including just 4 of 16 3-points. … Colorado College was 8-6 on its home court a year ago.

Hardin-Simmons Cowgirls News and Notes:
Hardin-Simmons is coming off a 15-12 overall record a year ago and a berth in the American Southwest Conference Tournament. … Last year marked the first time since 1998 that the Cowgirls did not reach the 20-win plateau. … Hardin-Simons returns three starters and 10 letterwinners from a year ago. … The Cowgirls have been picked third in the preseason ASC West Division poll and two-time ASC West Player of the Year Lindsey Newcombe, has been tabbed to win the honor again in a vote of the league's coaches, sports information directors and selected media. … Newcombe returns for her senior season after averaging 15.2 points and 11.2 rebounds per game a year ago. Newcombe is just 107 rebounds shy of the ASC record for rebounds in a career. … At 6-2, Newcombe is one of the taller players in NCAA Division III, while Coco Cartwright, standing 4-11, is one of the shortest. … This weekend will mark the first time the Cowgirls have played outside the state of Texas (while also staying in the United States) in a nonconference game since reaching the NCAA Final Four in 2006 in Springfield, Mass. H-C plays in Arakansas, Mississippi and Louisiana during conference play, and also took part in a tournament in the Bahamas in 2008. … Coach Shanna Briggs, who boasts a 179-43 record, has guided the Cowgirls to six NCAA Tournaments — including three trips to the Sweet 16, two to the Elite Eight and one to the Final Four.