ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team hits the road on Wednesday, traveling to Saint Benedict for a 7:30 p.m. conference contest with the Blazers.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (8-5 MIAC | 8-8 Overall)
at Saint Benedict Blazers (5-8 MIAC | 8-8 Overall)

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Last Action:
SMU outscored league-leading St. Thomas 40-31 over the game's final 20 minutes, but it was not enough to overcome a dismal opening half, as the Tommies held off the hard-charging Cardinals 56-49 Saturday at the SMU Ice Arena. … Saint Benedict, meanwhile, could not maintain its one-point halftime deficit, as the Blazers dropped a 66-52 decision against Concordia Saturday in St. Joseph, Minn.

SMU vs. Saint Benedict — Earlier This Year:
December 5, 2011: The Cardinals, trailing perennial MIAC powerhouse Saint Benedict by four points with one minute remaining in regulation, scored the game's final seven points to hand the Blazers a 54-50 conference setback at the SMU Gym.

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 are back on the road on Saturday, heading to Northfield, Minn., for a 1 p.m. conference showdown against St. Olaf. … Saint Benedict, meanwhile, are also headed to Northfield, Minn., on Saturday, as the Blazers square off against Carleton in a 3 p.m. MIAC game.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule | 2011-12 Media Guide
The Cardinals' 56-49 loss to league-leading St. Thomas on Saturday snapped their season-high five-game winning streak. SMU was looking to post its first six-game win streak since the 1985-86 season, when the Cardinals won 19 in a row en route to a 24-3 record and an NCAA Tournament berth. … It was a tale of two halves vs. UST Saturday, as the Cardinals scored a season-low nine first-half points, then netted a season-best 40 after halftime. … The Cardinals have now scored 32 or more second-half points in three of their last four games — SMU netted 39 second-half points vs. Augsburg on Jan. 14, then netted 32 points after the break against Hamline two days later. … Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) scored 15 of her game-high 17 points vs. St. Thomas Saturday in the second half. … It was the sixth straight game in which Thone has scored in double figures. … Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) also had a big second half vs. UST, netting 11 of her 13 points and hauling in six of her 11 rebounds after halftime. … Stefely has now recorded a double-double in two of her last three games, having recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds against Hamline on Jan. 16. … Stefely has now posted five double-doubles this season and owns seven for her collegiate career. … With her 13-point effort against St. Thomas, Stefely has now scored in double figures 10 times this season, including a career-high 25-point effort against Macalester on Jan. 7. … Thone recorded her first double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Bethel on Jan. 11. Thone has recorded one double-double in each of her three seasons at SMU. … Thone equaled her career high with seven assists vs. Hamline on Jan. 16. … Thone enters Wednesday's game at Saint Benedict boasting a team-leading 12.3 ppg. She is one of two SMU players averaging in double figures — Stefely (11.3 ppg) is the other, while Courtney Euerle (Hutchinson, Minn.) is close behind at 9.1 ppg. … Stefely also boasts a team-best 133 rebounds (8.3 rpg). … Last Wednesday's 61-60 win over Carleton was the Cardinals' second-straight one-point win over the Knights this season. SMU dropped Carleton 58-57 to opening conference play on Nov. 30. … SMU outscored its opponents by a combined 22 points during its five-game winning streak. … The Cardinals, who are averaging 56.5 ppg this season, have knocked down 73 3-pointers, led by Thone with 24. … The Cardinals' 69 points in their 69-44 win over St. Catherine on Jan. 2 were a season high. … SMU also recorded season-highs in field goals (30), field goal attempts (78), 3-point attempts (23), rebounds (51), steals (15) and blocked shots (7) against St. Catherine.

Saint Benedict Blazers News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the second straight home game for the Blazers, who are 6-3 on their home court this season. … With Saturday's 66-52 loss to Concordia, CSB falls to 1-4 in its last four games. … Rebeka Schwendemann scored a team-high 12 points in Saturday's loss to Concordia — including nine in the first half. … Schwendemann has now led the Blazers in scoring in two of the team's last three games. … Cassie Dorschener scored a season-high 20 points in CSB's 70-60 win over Augsburg last Wednesday. … Dorschener's 20-point effort marked the fourth time this season Saint Benedict has boasted a 20-point scorer. Sam Larsen has posted the team's highest individual offensive output, netting 22 points twice. … Whitney Canton enters Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's owning a team-best 11.5 ppg scoring average. Canton is the only Blazer averaging in double figures. … Jamie Wollin is the team's rebounding leader (84, 5.3 rpg), while Tish Alexander boasts a team-high 26 assists. Alexander is one of eight Blazers with 10 or more assists. … The Blazers have scored 1104 points in 16 games, averaging 69.0 ppg. … CSB has outscored its opponents 587-506 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.