ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team begins its MIAC playoff push on Monday, as the Cardinals head to St. Catherine for a 7:30 p.m. game.






The Teams:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (9-10 MIAC / 11-11 Overall)
vs. St. Catherine Wildcats (4-14 MIAC / 5-16 Overall)

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Live Stats / Live Video

Last Action:
Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) and Cherie Kulig (Independence, Wis.) scored 20 and 19 points, respectively, as the senior duo led the Cardinals to a 72-60 MIAC win over Carleton on Senior Day Saturday at the SMU Gym. … St. Catherine, meanwhile, started fast, but couldn't hold the early lead, as the Wildcats dropped a 68-65 decision to St. Olaf Saturday in Northfield, Minn.

Earlier This Year:
January 12, 2011: Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) 21 points to become the ninth player in SMU women's basketball history to reach 1,000 career points in leading the Cardinals to a 76-57 conference win over the Wildcats at the SMU Gym.

A Year Ago:
January 9, 2010: St. Catherine raced out to a 46-31 halftime advantage and never let the Cardinals get their offense on track in beating SMU 86-59 in a conference game at SCU's Butler Center.

February 6, 2010: SMU managed just four field goals and 15 points in the game's final 13 minutes, as the St. Catherine used a 14-8 run to tie the game at 50-50, then outscored the Cardinals 17-7 over the game's seven minutes in handing the Cardinals a 67-57 MIAC setback at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are back in action on Wednesday, traveling to St. Joseph, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. conference game against MIAC power Saint Benedict. … St. Catherine, meanwhile, plays its second straight home game on Wednesday, hosting Concordia in a 7:30 p.m. game at the Butler Center.

MIAC Playoff Picture:
St. Thomas (17-3), Saint Benedict (15-5), Concordia (15-5) and Gustavus (13-7) have already locked up berths in the six-team MIAC playoffs, leaving Bethel (10-9), Macalester (10-10), Saint Mary's (9-10), St. Olaf (9-11) and Hamline (9-11) to battle for the two remaining spots with one week remaining in the regular season. SMU closes with games vs. St. Catherine (3-16), and playoff-bound Saint Benedict (15-5) and Gustavus (13-7), while Bethel has Carleton (4-15), St. Olaf and Macalester. Along with its game vs. Bethel, St. Olaf closes out its regular season vs. Carleton, while Macalester faces Bethel and Carleton, and Hamline squares off against playoff-bound St. Thomas and Concordia.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Saturday's 72-60 win over Carleton was the Cardinals' final home game of the season — and the final home game in the careers of graduating seniors Cherie Kulig (Independence, Wis.), Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) and Kim Kaminski (Milwaukee, Wis.). … The Cardinals close out the regular season with three straight road games, beginning Monday night at St. Catherine's Butler Center. … Miller scored 20 points vs. the Knights in her home finale, while Kulig was close behind, equaling her season high with 19 points. … Miller's 20-point effort marked the sixth time this season and the 11th time in her career that she has scored 20 or more points. … Miller enters tonight's game at St. Catherine having started every game of her collegiate career, a span of 97 straight starts. … Miller, who became the ninth player in program history to reach 1,000 career points when she netted 21 points in the team's first meeting against St. Catherine earlier this year, boasts a team-best scoring average of 13.3 ppg. … Kulig is also averaging in double figures at 10.0 ppg. … Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) scored a team- and career-high 11 points in last Wednesday's game against St. Olaf. … Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.), who scored a career-high 21 points and added 10 boards against Augsburg on Jan. 12, has accounted for three of the team's four double-doubles this season. … Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) pushed her team-leading 3-point total to 23 with a pair of treys vs. Carleton on Saturday. … As a team, the Cardinals have made 92 3-pointers. … SMU's 72 points scored against Carleton was its third-highest offensive output of the season. The Cardinals recorded their two highest offensive performances of the season 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. … The Cardinals' 72-60 win over Carleton on Saturday 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. That year was also the last time SMU has reached the MIAC post-season tournament. … Last Wednesday's 56-47 loss to St. Olaf was the Cardinals' second overtime game of the season. SMU also dropped a 74-72 decision to Hardin-Simmons on Nov. 20 | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

St. Catherine Wildcats News and Notes:
Monday's game vs. Saint Mary's is the first of three straight home games to close out the season for the Wildcats. … SCU is 1-8 at Butler Center and 3-10 away from home. … Saturday's 68-65 loss at St. Olaf extended the Wildcats' losing streak to 10 straight. St. Catherine has not won since upsetting St. Thomas 73-68 on Jan. 15. … Laura Kalbfell scored a game-high 25 points in SCU's loss at St. Olaf Saturday, while Sonja Ellingson chipped in 12 points. … Kalbfell, who has scored 20 or more points 10 times this season, has now led the team in scoring in 19 of the Wildcats' 21 games. … Kalbfell enters Monday's game against Saint Mary's averaging 19.4 ppg, while Ellingson is also averaging in double figures at 11.7 ppg. … Kalbfell's 19.4 ppg scoring average is second among MIAC scorers. She also ranks No. 6 in the MIAC in rebounding at 7.3 rpg | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics