WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team returns home for a key MIAC showdown Monday, as the Cardinals host red-hot Saint Benedict in a 7:30 p.m. game at the SMU Gym.




The Teams:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (5-4 MIAC / 7-5 Overall)
Saint Benedict Blazers (9-1 MIAC / 12-1 Overall)

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Last Action:
Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) scored a game-high 22 points, but a slow start proved costly, as the Cardinals dropped a 57-51 decision on the road at Hamline Saturday. Saint Benedict, meanwhile, had little trouble with Augsburg on Saturday, cruising to an 82-52 conference win in St. Joseph, Minn.

A Year Ago:
January 2, 2010: Saint Benedict outscored SMU 35-18 in the second half en route to a 64-41 conference victory in St. Joseph, Minn.

January 30, 2010: CSB knocked down 18 of their 31 first half field goals and rode that 58 percent shooting to a commanding 44-24 halftime advantage. And while the Cardinals matched Saint Benedict point-for-point over the final 20 minutes, they could not cut into the 20-point deficit in falling 81-61 at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals play their second straight home game on Wednesday, hosting Augsburg in a 7:30 p.m. conference contest at the SMU Gym. Saint Benedict, meanwhile, are also at home on Wednesday, hosting St. Catherine in a 7:30 p.m. MIAC game in St. Joseph, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Saturday's loss to Hamline snapped the Cardinals' season-high three-game winning streak. … Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.), who became the ninth player in SMU women's basketball history to eclipse the 1,000 career points mark in last Wednesday's win over St. Catherine, scored a team-best 22 points vs. Hamline on Saturday. … Saturday's effort marked the third straight game in which Miller has scored 20 or more points. Miller began her three-game streak with a season-high 23 points vs. Carleton on Jan. 8, then followed that up with 21 points vs. St. Catherine last Wednesday and 22 vs. Hamline Saturday. … Miller, who started her 87th consecutive game vs. Hamline Saturday, has now eclipsed the 20-point barrier seven times in her illustrious four-year collegiate career. … Miller enters today's game against Saint Benedict averaging a team-best 14.0 ppg, while Cherie Kulig (Independence, Wis.) is averaging 9.8 ppg and Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) is at 8.8 ppg. … Miller, Kulig or Thone has led the team in scoring in 11 of the team's 12 games. … Brittany Begrowicz (Des Plaines, Ill.) recorded a career-best 15 points against Carleton on Jan. 8, while Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) pulled down a team- and game-high 10 rebounds. It was the second time this season Stefely — who scored a career-best 16 points in SMU's 67-64 win over St. Olaf on Jan. 5 — has hauled in 10 rebounds in a game. … Thone and Stefely have accounted for SMU's two double-doubles — both coming against Macalester on Dec. 4. Thone scored 13 points and added 10 rebounds, while Stefely netted 10 points and hauled in 10 boards. Eighteen of those 20 rebounds by Thone and Stefely came on the defensive end. … Thone has netted a team-best 11 3-pointers. She, Kulig (9) and Miller (9) have accounted for 29 of the team's 42 3-pointers this season. … The Cardinals made 26 of 37 free throws vs. St. Olaf on Jan. 5 — both were season highs. The 26 FTM and 37 FTA were also the most since SMU went 35-for-50 from the charity stripe vs. Hamline on Jan. 7, 2001. … SMU has held its opponents to 60 points or less in nine of its 12 games this season, and have allowed 70 or more points just once — a 74-72 overtime loss to Hardin-Simmons on Nov. 20. … SMU's last two opponents have each scored 57 points — St. Catherine netted 57 in a 76-57 SMU win, while Hamline netted 57 in Saturday's 57-51 Piper win | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Saint Benedict Blazers News and Notes:
The Blazers enter tonight's game vs. Saint Mary's riding a season-high eight-game winning streak. … The Blazers' lone loss this season was a one-point, 62-61 setback against St. Olaf on Dec. 4. That loss snapped CSB's season-opening four-game winning streak. … The Blazers are a perfect 6-0 on the road this season. … CSB's 82 points in Saturday's 82-52 win vs. Augsburg were a season high, while the Auggies' 52 points marked the eighth time the Blazers have held their opponent under 60 points. … Seven of Saint Benedict's 12 wins have been by more than 10 points. … Devin Bowlin scored a game-high 12 points for the Blazers vs. Augsburg Saturday, while Abby Richardson chipped in 11. … Twenty-one Blazers played vs. Augsburg Saturday, with 16 of them scoring at least one point. … The Blazers have had a different leading scorer in each of their last five games. … Richardson enters today's game as the team's leading scoring, boasting a 15.5 ppg average, while Heather Gillund is also averaging in double figures at 11.2 ppg. … The Blazers have outscored their opponents by 123 points in the first half, while holding a 462-418 scoring edge in the game's final 20 minutes | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics