WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team steps out of conference play on Wednesday, hosting UW-La Crosse in a nonconference game at the SMU Gym. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-4 Overall)
vs. UW-La Crosse Eagles (7-2 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals found themselves staring at a second-straight 15-plus point halftime deficit, and their second-half rally fell just short, as SMU suffered a 68-60 conference setback to league-leading Bethel Saturday at the SMU Gym. … UW-La Crosse, meanwhile, used a 10-0 late in the first half to pull away from UW-Superior en route to an 80-64 conference win over the Yellowjackets in La Crosse, Wis.

SMU vs. UW-La Crosse — Their Last Meeting:
November 18, 2005: The Cardinals made just 5 of 29 first-half field goals — and struggled to just 12 first-half points — and never recovered as UW-La Crosse rolled to a 63-38 nonconference win over SMU in the opening round of the Rockford Tip-Off Classic in Rockford, Ill.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are now off until Thursday, Dec. 29, when they host UW-Superior in their final nonconference game of the season. … UW-La Crosse, meanwhile, is also off until after Christmas, as the Eagles hit the court on Dec. 29 for a 7 p.m. game against Luther in La Crosse, Wis.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule | 2011-12 Media Guide
Wednesday's game against UW-La Crosse is the first of back-to-back games against Wisconsin state schools for the Cardinals, who host UW-Superior on Dec. 29. … Wednesday's game is also the fifth home game of the season for SMU, which plays six of its first eight games on its home court. … The Cardinals entered the second half against Bethel last Wednesday trailing the Royals 42-21, marking just the second time this season the Cardinals have trailed at the half. … Sara Schoenthaler (Hugo, Minn.), Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) and Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) all scored 12 points to lead the Cardinals against Bethel. … The 12-point effort was a collegiate best for Schoenthaler. … Thone netted a season-high 23 points against Concordia last Wednesday. It was the fourth time in her career that Thone has scored 20 or more points, and was four points shy of her career-best 27 points scored against Carleton on Jan. 4, 2010. … Stefely recorded her second double-double of the season — and fifth of her career — vs. the Cobbers last Wednesday, netting 12 points and added 13 rebounds. … Stefely has now scored in double figures in four straight games. … Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.), coming off her second double-double of the season with career-highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds vs. Saint Benedict on Dec. 5, chipped in 13 points against Concordia — all coming the second half. … Euerle and Stefely each notched their first double-doubles of the season in SMU's 58-57 conference-opening win over Carleton on Nov. 30, marking SMU's first double, double-double since Stefely and Thone hit double figures in both points and rebounds against Macalester on Dec. 4, 2010. … SMU enters Wednesday's game against UW-La Crosse boasting a pair of players averaging in double figures — Thone (12.7 ppg) and Stefely (11.0 ppg), while Euerle is close behind at 9.8 ppg. … Stefely also leads the team in rebounds with 58 (9.7 rpg). … SMU's 17 free throws made and 21 free throws attempted vs. Concordia last Wednesday were both season highs. … SMU's 61-point effort vs. Concordia was three points shy of their season-high 64 points scored against St. Olaf on Dec. 3. … The Cardinals' 54-50 win over Saint Benedict on Dec. 5 was SMU's first win over the Blazers under coach Mandy Pearson. … The win over Saint Benedict also snapped the Cardinals' 10-game losing streak against the Blazers, dating back to a 61-54 victory on Feb. 7, 2005. … Euerle and Stefely accounted for 33 of the team's 54 points vs. the Blazers. … Saint Benedict's 50 points were the fewest allowed by the Cardinals this season. … SMU's 58-57 win over Carleton on Nov. 30 marked the second straight year the Cardinals have opened conference play with a win. SMU beat Augsburg 57-44 in its MIAC opener a year ago. … Eight of SMU's last 13 wins have come at home — the Cardinals finished 6-6 at the SMU Gym a year ago.

UW-La Crosse Eagles News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
With their 80-64 win over UW-Superior on Saturday, the Eagles extended their winning streak to 10 straight against the Yellowjackets. UW-L is now 14-1 in their last 15 matchups against UW-Superior. … After opening the season with a 63-52 loss at Loras, the Eagles have gone 7-1 in their last eight games, with the lone blemish a 53-47 setback vs. UW-Eau Claire on Dec. 3. … UW-L's loss to UW-Eau Claire snapped the Eagles' season-high five-game winning streak. … Kassie Robinson scored a game-high 19 points and added 11 rebounds against UW-Superior. … Jenna Anderson chipped in a career-best 16 points vs. the Yellowjackets. … Robinson has now led the team in scoring in each of its last four games. … Saturday's double-double vs. UW-Superior was the first of the season for Robinson. … Robinson's 19-point effort vs. UW-Superior marked the third time this season the senior has netted a season-high 19 points. … Robinson enters Wednesday's game at Saint Mary's boasting a team-high 14.3 ppg scoring average. Briana Radowicz is also averaging in double figures at 10.4 ppg. … Katie Ehlen is the team's rebounding leader with 77 (8.6 rpg). … UW-L has drained 32 3-pointers this season, with Radowicz accouting for 11 of them. … The Eagles have outscored their first nine opponents 551-479 — including 282-201 in the first half. … UW-La Crosse has played two overtime games this season, winning both — 56-54 vs. Wartburg on Nov. 27 and 71-68 vs. UW-Whitewater. … Five of UW-La Crosse's seven wins have come by 10 points or more.