WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team is back on the court for the second time in as many days, as the Cardinals host Concordia in a 3 p.m. MIAC game at the SMU Gym.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (9-6 MIAC | 9-9 Overall)
vs. Concordia Cobbers  (9-6 MIAC | 11-7 Overall)

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Last Action:
SMU battled St. Olaf to a 28-28 deadlock after the game's opening 20 minutes, but the Oles outscored the Cardinals 29-19 in the second half to hand Saint Mary's a 57-47 MIAC setback Saturday at Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn. … Concordia, meanwhile, also dropped its conference contest Saturday, as the Cobbers came out on the short end of a 61-47 decision in Moorhead, Minn.

SMU vs. Concordia — Earlier This Year:
December 7, 2011: Trailing by 15 points at the half, the Cardinals put together a second-half comeback for the ages, as SMU used a 27-10 run in the first 13 minutes to take a 54-52 lead, then held a two-point, 61-59 advantage with 1:49 remaining in regulation. Unfortunatel, the Cobbers rained on SMU's second-half parade, getting a game-winning layup from Emily Thesing with five seconds on the clock to break a 61-61 tie and hand SMU a heartbreaking 63-61 MIAC setback at Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn.

SMU vs. Concordia  — A Year Ago:
December 12, 2010: Concordia's Alexandra Lippert recorded eight blocks — including six in the first half — to help lead the Cobbers to a 55-34 conference victory over the Cardinals at the SMU Gym.
January 31, 2011: Concordia used a 20-11 run to end the first half, as the Cobbers handed SMU a 78-49 MIAC setback at Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are back in action — and back on their home court — on Wednesday, hosting St. Catherine in a 7:30 p.m. game at the SMU Gym. … Concordia, meanwhile, is also on its home floor on Wednesday, entertaining Bethel in a 5:45 p.m. conference at Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule | 2011-12 Media Guide
Sunday's game vs. Concordia is Senior Day, as SMU honors its lone graduating senior, Emily DeWitt (Lino Lakes, Minn.). … Sunday's game is the Cardinals' second in as many days, and the first of three straight home games. … Despite Saturday's loss at St. Olaf, the Cardinals enter Sunday's game vs. Concordia having won six of their last eight games. Æ Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) scored a team-high 16 points — including 11 in the first half — against St. Olaf Saturday. It was the second straight game in which the SMU junior has led the team in scoring. Thone netted a game-high 15 points against Saint Benedict last Wednesday. … Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) collected her third double-double of the season with her 14-point, 13-rebound effort against Saint Benedict last Wednesday. … Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.), meanwhile, leads the team with six double-doubles this season and has collected eight in her career. … 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. … With her 10-point effort against Saint Benedict, Stefely has now scored in double figures 10 times this season, including a career-high 25 points against Macalester on Jan. 7. … Thone enters Sunday's game against Concordia boasting a team-leading 12.7 ppg. She is one of two SMU players averaging in double figures — Stefely (11.1 ppg) is the other, while Euerle is close behind at 8.9 ppg. … Stefely also boasts a team-best 141 rebounds (7.8 rpg). … With their 55-50 win at Saint Benedict last Wednesday, the Cardinals put an end to a pair of streaks that started during the 1986-87 season. SMU put an end to a 26-game losing streak at Saint Benedict, while also completing its first season sweep of the Blazers since beating CSB 57-53 and 59-42 during the 1985-86 season. The Cardinals finished 20-2 and placed third in the NCAA Division III Regional that year. … The Cardinals scored a season-high 40 second-half points in their Jan. 21 56-49 loss to St. Thomas. … With a 34-point second-half effort against Saint Benedict Wednesday, the Cardinals have now scored 32 or more second-half points in four of their last six games — SMU netted 39 second-half points vs. Augsburg on Jan. 14, then netted 32 points after the break against Hamline two days later. … SMU's 61-60 win over Carleton on Jan. 18 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. … The Cardinals, who are averaging 56.4 ppg this season, have knocked down 76 3-pointers, led by Thone with 25. … 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.

Concordia Cobbers News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Saturday's 61-47 loss to Augsburg Saturday snapped the Cobbers' three-game winning streak. … Augsburg scored the game's first basket against the Cobbers Saturday and never relinquished the lead. … Concordia has scored less than 70 points in eight of their 11 wins this season. On the flip side, the Cobbers have been held under 50 points in five of their seven losses. … The Cobbers have 11 overall wins on the year, which marks the 39th consecutive season that the Cobbers have posted a double-digit win total. They have had at least 10 wins in every year since the 1974-75 season. … Concordia's Alexandra Lippert had 14 points and 10 rebounds in the Cobbers' 61-47 loss at Augsburg on Saturday. It was her second double-double of the season. It also marked the sixth time this year that a CC player has posted a double-double. Tricia Sorensen has the other four double-doubles. … Concordia was outrebounded 32-31 against Augsburg. The 31 rebounds for the Cobbers is a season low for the team that was leading the MIAC in rebounds per game at the start of the weekend. … he Cobbers are 1-5 when trailing at halftime in 2011-12. Concordia is 10-2 when they lead at the break. … The Cobbers have won five of their last eight games. One of the keys for Concordia has been their team defense. In their five wins during that stretch, CC is allowing just 49.0 points per game and has not allowed an opponent to score in the 60's. The Cobbers are currently fifth in the MIAC in team defense.