WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team hits the court on Monday for a 7:30 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Saint Benedict at the SMU Gym.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-1 MIAC | 1-2 Overall)
vs. Saint Benedict Blazers  (1-1 MIAC | 4-1 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals jumped out to a 34-31 in their MIAC game against St. Olaf Saturday, but the Oles responded by outscoring SMU 45-30 over the game's final 20 minutes in handing Saint Mary's a 76-64 setback at the SMU Gym. … Saint Benedict, meanwhile, picked up its first conference win of the season, rolling to a 75-59 win over Carleton in St. Joseph, Minn., Saturday.

SMU vs. Saint Benedict  — A Year Ago:
January 17, 2011: The first half proved to be one long, extended CSB run, as the Blazers raced out to a 40-16 halftime advantage — and they needed every one of those additional 24 points to hold off the Cardinals down the stretch en route to a 73-61 victory at the SMU Gym.
February, 16, 2011: Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) scored a season-high 17 points, but the SMU sophomore's effort was not enough, as Saint Benedict handed the Cardinals an 83-56 MIAC setback in St. Joseph, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals hit the road on Wednesday for their first conference road game of the season, heading to Moorhead, Minn., for a 5:45 p.m. contest against Concordia. … Saint Benedict, meanwhile, returns home on Wednesday, hosting St. Catherine in a 7:30 p.m. game in St. Joseph, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule | 2011-12 Media Guide
Monday's game against Saint Benedict is the third straight home game for the Cardinals, who play six of their first eight games on their home court. … After scoring 58 points in each of their first two games, the Cardinals netted a season-high 64 points against St. Olaf Saturday. … The Cardinals have led at halftime in all three of their games this season. … SMU boasted three players in double figures in Saturday's loss to St. Olaf, led by Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) with 12 points. Kaitlyn Keefe (Chatfield, Minn.) and Octavia Brown (Broadview, Ill.) each chipped in 10 points vs. the Oles. … Stefely has now scored 10 or more points in back-to-back games, having recorded 10 points — along with 10 rebounds — against Carleton in the team's conference-opening win over Carleton last Wednesday. … Stefely's double-double vs. Carleton last Wednesday was the fourth of her collegiate career. … Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) recorded her first collegiate double-double vs. Carleton last Wednesday, posting career-highs with 13 points and 11 rebounds. … Euerle and Stefely's double, double-double was SMU's first since Stefely and Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) hit double figures in both points and rebounds against Macalester on Dec. 4, 2010. … Stefely has now pulled down 10 or more rebounds in two of the Cardinals' first three games. … Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) enters Monday's game against Saint Benedict with a team-leading 10.7 ppg scoring average, while Stefely leads the team in rounding (9.7 rpg) and is second in scoring (8.7 ppg). … The Cardinals netted a season-high 14 free throws vs. St. Olaf Saturday. … SMU's 58-57 win over Carleton last Wednesday 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. … Seven of SMU's last 12 wins have come at home — the Cardinals finished 6-6 at the SMU Gym a year ago.

Saint Benedict Blazers News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Monday's game at Saint Mary's is the first road contest of the season for the Blazers, who played their first five games on their home court. … After being held to a season-low 50 points in a 61-50 MIAC-opening loss to Augsburg last Wednesday, the Blazers rebounded with a 75-point effort in drubbing Carleton 75-59 on Saturday. … CSB's conference-opening loss to Augsburg last Wednesday marked the first time in coach Mike Durbin's 26-year tenure that the Blazers have lost to Augsburg. … The loss to the Auggies also snapped CSB's season-opening three-game winning streak, in which the Blazers outscored their three opponents by an average of 48 points. … Whitney Canton scored a game-high 20 points for the Blazers against Carleton Saturday, while Brianna Barrett chipped in 17. … Canton enters Monday's game at Saint Mary's leading the team in scoring at 14.3 ppg. Barrett is also averaging in double figures at 11.8 ppg. … As a team, the Blazers are averaging 79.0 ppg, while holding their opponent to just over 49 ppg. … CSB has outscored its opponents 184-119 in the first half and 211-127 after halftime. … CSB is coming off a 20-7 showing in 2010-11 — the Blazers' 15th straight 20-win season and the 23rd time in school history they have notched 20 or more wins. … Saint Benedict placed third in the MIAC a year ago, snapping a string of five straight seasons the Blazers won or shared the conference's regular-season title.