MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team, off since going 1-1 at the Colorado Springs Tip-Off Tournament on Nov. 19-20, kicks off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, traveling to Augsburg for a 7:30 p.m. contest against the Auggies.



The Teams:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0 MIAC / 2-1 Overall)
Augsburg Auggies (0-0 MIAC / 1-2 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals closed out their nonconference schedule with a 1-1 showing at the Colorado College Tip-Off Tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Nov. 19-20. SMU opened with a convincing 62-38 win over host Colorado College, then dropped a heartbreaking, 74-72 overtime decision to Hardin-Simmons. Augsburg, meanwhile, picked up its first win of the season, knocking off Northwestern 70-62 in a nonconference game in Minneapolis, Minn., on Tuesday.

A Year Ago:
January 18, 2010 — Shannon Renne drained 6 of 10 3-point attempts, scoring a game-high 26 points and leading the Auggies to a 78-65 victory at the SMU Gym.

February 19, 2010 — The Cardinals raced out to a comfortable nine-point, 42-33 halftime advantage, but Augsburg turned the tables in the game's final 20 minutes, outscoring SMU 36-25 — including a game-winning jumper by Serenae Levine with three seconds remaining in regulation — in handing Saint Mary's a 69-67 setback in the teams' regular-season finale in Minneapolis, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals stay on the road on Saturday, when they travel to Macalester for a 1 p.m. conference contest against the Scots. Augsburg, meanwhile, heads to Northfield, Minn., on Saturday for a 1 p.m. MIAC game against Carleton.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
SMU's overtime loss to Hardin-Simmons on Nov. 20 snapped their season-opening two-game winning streak. It was the first time since the 2004-2005 season that the Cardinals had opened with back-to-back victories. … Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) scored a team-high 12 points in SMU's 62-38 win over Colorado College on Nov. 19, while Cherie Kulig (Independence, Wis.) netted 16 points to lead four Cardinals in double figures against Hardin-Simmons. Thone and Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) each chipped in 13 points, while Brittany Begrowicz (Des Plaines, Ill.) tallied 12. … Begrowicz's 12 points were one shy of her career best 13-point effort recorded against Coe on Dec. 12, 2008. … With her 13 points vs. Hardin-Simmons, Miller has now scored in double figures in 22 of the team's last 27 games. … Thone, meanwhile, has scored 10 or more points in seven straight games and 14 times in her SMU career. … Miller, who extended her consecutive-starts streak to 78, needs just 105 points to become the ninth SMU women's basketball player to score 1,000 career points. … SMU enters conference play with three players averaging in double figures — Miller (13.7 ppg), Thone (11.7 ppg) and Kulig (11.3 ppg). … Tonight's game vs. Augsburg is the third of six straight road games for the Cardinals, whose next home game isn't until Dec. 12, when they host Concordia in their final game before the Christmas break | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Augsburg Auggies News and Notes:
Augsburg put an end to its season-opening two-game losing streak with Tuesday's nonconference win over Northwestern on Tuesday. … Tracee Schrank scored a game-high 20 oints — knocking down 7 of 12 field goals, including a perfect 4-for-4 effort from behind the 3-point line — to lead the Auggies vs. Northwestern. … Brittany Dyshaw, meanwhile, chipped in eight points and 11 rebounds Tuesday evening. … The Auggies return four of their five starters from a year ago, including Dyshaw, who is back after a rookie season that culminated with All-MIAC First-Year Team honors. Dyshaw averaged 10.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per-game, leading the conference in steals (3.2) and ranking sixth in rebounding | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics