WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team returns to the SMU Gym on Saturday, as the Cardinals host Hamline a 1 p.m. conference contest.






The Teams:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (8-8 MIAC / 10-9 Overall)
Hamline Pipers (7-10 MIAC / 8-12 Overall)

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Last Action:
Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) scored 14 points, but St. Thomas used a 42-23 scoring edge in the second half to hand the Cardinals a 72-53 MIAC setback Wednesday in St. Paul, Minn. … Hamline, meanwhile, fell behind by six at the half and never recovered, falling to Gustavus 79-73 in St. Peter, Minn.

Earlier This Year:
January 15, 2011: SMU managed just eight points through the first 15 minutes and never recovered, falling to Hamline 57-51 in an MIAC game at Hutton Arena.

A Year Ago:
January 6, 2010: Cherie Kulig (Independence, Wis.) tossed in a career-best 24 points, while Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) recorded career bests in points (16) and rebounds (16) — not to mention a career-first double-double — as the pair helped lead the Cardinals to a 77-69 MIAC victory over Hamline at the SMU Gym.

February 10, 2010: Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) led three SMU players in double figures with a game-high 17 points — including a perfect 9-for-9 showing from the free throw line — but it was not enough, as Hamline pulled away from the Cardinals in the second half en route to a 75-58 conference victory in St. Paul, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals play the second of three straight home games on Wednesday, hosting St. Olaf in a 7:30 p.m. game at the SMU Gym. … Hamline is also home on Wednesday, entertaining Bethel in a 7:30 MIAC game at Hutton Arena.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Today's game is the first of three straight home games for the Cardinals, who will then close out the regular-season with three consecutive road contests. … Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) scored a team-high 14 points in Wednesday's 72-53 loss at St. Thomas Wednesday, while Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) chipped in 10 points. … Kim Kaminski (Milwaukee, Wis.) missed out on her first career double-double by one point and one rebound vs. UST, finishing with nine points and nine boards. … Miller, who scored a game-high 20 points against Concordia Monday — marking the fifth time this season and 10th time in her career that the senior guard has scored 20 or more points — enters today's game with a team-leading 13.3 ppg scoring average. … Miller, just the ninth player in program history to eclipse the 1,000 career-point mark, enters tonight's game against St. Thomas with 1,107 career points, ranking her seventh all-time. … Miller has started every game during her four-year collegiate career, a span of 94 straight starts. … 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. … SMU equaled a season high with seven 3-pointers vs. the Tommies, with Thone and Miller each draining a pair of treys. … SMU has now made 76 3-pointers, led by Kulig, Miller and Thone with 16 each. … 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 have held 15 of their 19 opponents under 70 points. … The Cardinals made 26 of 37 free throws vs. 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' 52-51 win over Macalester on Jan. 29 was their 10th of the season, marking the first time SMU has reached the 10-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. … SMU is 5-4 on its home court and 5-5 away from the SMU Gym | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Hamline Piper News and Notes:
Hamline's 79-73 loss at Gustavus Wednesday snapped the Pipers' three-game winning streak. … The Gusties' 79 points were the most allowed by Hamline since St. Olaf netted 83 on Dec. 12. … Kara Poirier and Mary Wilkowski combined for 51 points in the Pipers' loss to Gustavus, with Poirier netting 26, while Wilkowski chipped in 25. … Wilkowski chipped in 11 rebounds en route to her seventh double-double of the season. … Wilkowski — who eclipsed the 1,500 career-point mark and became Hamline's all-time career scoring leader with her 26 points against Augsburg on Monday — has now scored 20 or more points in three straight games and nine times this season. … Wilkowski enters today's game at Saint Mary's with 1,541 points. … Either Wilkowski or Poirier has led the team in scoring in every game this season. … Wilkowski enters today's game at SMU with a team- and conference-leading 20.8 ppg scoring average. Poirier is also averaging in double figures at 10.9 ppg. … Poirier has been deadly from behind the 3-point line, knocking down 39 treys. As a team, Hamline has made 107 3-pointers. … Stephanie Robinson leads the team — and the conference — in assists with 86. … Today's game at Saint Mary's is the second straight road game for Hamline, which has won just twice in 12 road contests this season | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics