ST. PETER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team closes out its season on the road on Saturday, traveling to Gustavus for a 1 p.m. conference game against the Gusties.





The Teams:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (9-12 MIAC / 11-13 Overall)
Gustavus Gusties (14-7 MIAC / 15-9 Overall)

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Last Action:
Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) scored a game-high 17 points, but the Cardinals could not keep pace with Saint Benedict in the second half, as the high-powered Blazers pulled away for an 83-56 victory Wednesday in St. Joseph, Minn. … Gustavus, meanwhile, got a game-high 16 points from Molly Geske, as the Gusties cruised to an 85-45 MIAC win over Augsburg Wednesday in St. Peter, Minn.

Earlier This Year:
January 22, 2011: Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, but it was not enough, as Gustauvs pulled away for a 64-49 conference win over the Cardinals at the SMU Gym.

A Year Ago:
December 7, 2009: Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) scored a career-high 29 points, but it was not enough, as Gustavus held off the pesky Cardinals en route to a 74-66 MIAC victory at the SMU Gym.

January 27, 2010: The Cardinals made just eight first-half field goals Wednesday evening against Gustavus, and the Gusties took advantage, racing out to a 43-22 lead at the break en route to a 68-49 MIAC victory in St. Peter, Minn.

Up Next:
Saturday's game at Gustavus is the season finale for the Cardinals, who were officially eliminated from MIAC playoff contention with Wednesday's loss at Saint Benedict. … Gustavus, meanwhile, has already locked up the No. 4 seed for the upcoming MIAC playoffs and will host Bethel in a first-round game on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in St. Peter, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) scored a game- and season-high 17 points the Cardinals' loss to Saint Benedict on Wednesday. Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) also scored in double figures vs. the Blazers, netting 11 points. … Miller scored 21 points against St. Catherine last Monday. It was the second time in as many meetings against the Wildcats that she has scored 21 points. Miller's 21st point vs. SCU on Jan. 12 gave the Cardinal senior 1,000 points for her collegiate career. … Miller has now scored 20 or more points in two of the Cardinals' last three games. … Miller has eclipsed the 20-point barrier seven times this season and 12 times in her career. … Miller enters today's game at Gustavus having started every game of her collegiate career, a span of 99 straight starts. … Miller, the ninth player in program history to reach 1,000 career points, enters the final two regular-season games of her collegiate career with 1,178 points, ranking her seventh on SMU's all-time scoring list. … Cherie Kulig equaled her season high with 19 points in her home finale on Feb. 12 against Carleton. … Miller enters today's game at Gustavus averaging a team-best 13.5 ppg, while Kulig comes in averaging 9.9 ppg. … Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) scored a team- and career-high 11 points against St. Olaf on Feb. 9. … 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. … Thone — who leads the team with 26 3-pointers — drained three of the Cardinals' season-high nine treys against Saint Benedict Wednesday. … As a team, the Cardinals have made 102 3-pointers. … SMU's 72 points scored against Carleton on Feb. 12 were the Cardinals' 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 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 | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Gustavus Gusties News and Notes:
The Gusties come into today's regular-season finale against Saint Mary's having won four of their last five — including Wednesday's 85-45 rout of Augsburg — and 10 of their last 12. … GAC's 85-point outburst was its second-highest offensive showing of the season. The Gusties scored a season-high 91 points in a 91-70 win over Augsburg on Jan. 17. … Molly Geske scored a game-high 16 points against the Auggies Wednesday, eclipsing the 1,000-career point plateau in the process. … All 16 of Geske's point came in the first half, as she went 7-for-9 from the field — including 2-for-2 from behind the arc. … Geske becomes the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points — and just the fifth player to do so in her first three seasons. … Geske is also the second Gustie to reach 1,000 career points this season — Molly Mathiowetz hit the 1,000-point milestone in a 77-63 win over St. Catherine on Feb. 9. … Geske has now led the team in scoring in six of their last eight games. … Abby Rothenbuehler recorded her first double-double of the season against the Auggies Wednesday, scoring 15 points and adding 10 rebounds. … GAC enters today's game vs. Saint Mary's with two players — Geske (14.5 ppg) and Mathiowetz (12.4 ppg) — averaging in double figures. … Geske has knocked down a team-leading 32 3-pointers, while Ava Perry has netted 29. … GAC made a season-high 35 field goals vs. Augsburg — and shot a season-best .553 (35-for-63) from the field. Augsburg's 45 points, meanwhile, were the fewest allowed by the Gusties this season | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics