ELMHURST, Ill. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team kicks off its season on the road on Tuesday, traveling to Elmhurst for a 5 p.m. nonconference contest against the Bluejays.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0-0 Overall)
at Elmhurst Bluejays (3-0-0 Overall)

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Last Action:
Today's game is the season opener for the Cardinals. SMU is coming off an 11-14 season a year ago that included a 9-13 mark in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. … Elmhurst, meanwhile, has already got three games under its belt, beating Coe (78-70) on Nov. 15 in Elmhurst, Ill., then topping Colorado College (61-53) and Presentation (98-38) at last weekend's Colorado College Tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo.

SMU vs. Elmhurst — Their Last Meeting:
November 22, 2009: SMU, which struggled to find its shooting touch in falling to the University of Chicago in the opening round of the Midwest Classic a day earlier — found its rhythm, racing out to a 40-27 halftime lead, then holding off a late Elmhurst rally to beat the Bluejays 61-59 in Chicago, Ill.

Up Next:
The Cardinals kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Nov. 30, hosting Carleton in their home opener at the SMU Gym. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. … Elmhurst, meanwhile, is back in action on Nov. 29, hosting UW-Stevens Point in a 5 p.m. nonconference game in Elmhurst, Ill.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2010-11 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule | 2011-12 Media Guide
The Cardinals open the 2011-12 season minus three graduated seniors — including two-time All-MIAC First-Teamer Jess Miller. … Miller closed out a stellar collegiate career by becoming just ninth player in program history to reach 1,000 career points, finishing with 1,203 points — ranking her seventh all-time. … Miller, who started every game of her 100-game four-year collegiate career, is just one of three SMU players to ever start 100 or more games. … Miller finished with a team-leading 14.0 ppg scoring average, while fellow senior Cherie Kulig was second at 9.9 ppg. … Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.), who scored a career-high 21 points and added 10 boards against Augsburg on Jan. 12, accounted for three of the team's four double-doubles last season. … Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) drained three of the Cardinals' season-high nine 3-pointers against Saint Benedict on Feb. 16 and finished the season with a team-leading 27 treys. … As a team, SMU drained 107 3-pointers a year ago. … The Cardinals recorded their two highest offensive performances of the season a year ago in a seven-day span — netting 76 in a 76-57 win over St. Catherine on Jan. 12, then tallied 74 in a 74-62 win over Augsburg on Jan. 19. … The Cardinals made 26 of 37 free throws in their first meeting with 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. … As a team, the Cardinals led the MIAC with 685 defensive rebounds. … The Cardinals' 72-60 win over Carleton on Feb. 12 was their 11th of the season, marking the first time SMU has reached the 11-win plateau since the 2004-2005 team finished 18-8 overall. … Six of SMU's 11 wins came at home. The Cardinals finished 6-6 at the SMU Gym.

Elmhurst Bluejays News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
The Bluejays' 3-0 start marks the first time Elmhurst has won its opening three games since the 2005-2006 season. … After winning their first two games by a combined 16 points, Elmhurst cruised to a 60-point win over Presentation last Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colo. … Elmhurst outscored Presentation 42-6 over the final 17 minutes of the first half Saturday to take a 52-12 halftime lead. … Fourteen different players scored for Elmhurst vs. Presentation, led by Meghan Merklein's game-high 24 points. … Merklein enters Tuesday's game against Saint Mary's averaging 22.3 ppg, while Megan Ney is also averaging in double figures at 10.3 ppg. … Merklein has led the team in scoring in all three games this season — netting a season-best 25 vs. Coe, while adding 18 against Colorado College and 24 vs. Presentation. … The Bluejays have outscored their first three opponents 131-71 in the first half.