NAPERVILLE, Ill. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team kicks off its 2012-2013 season at the North Central (Ill.) Tournament this weekend, squaring off against Alma at noon on Friday, then taking on Olivet at noon on Saturday.



The Cardinals' Matchups:
Friday, November 16, 2012 | Naperville, Ill.
SMU Cardinals (2011-12: 14-13 Overall) vs. Alma Scots (2011-12: 7-18 Overall)
Saturday, November 17, 2012 | Naperville, Ill.
SMU Cardinals vs. Olivet Comets (2011-12: 7-18 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats | Video Preview | Tournament Homepage

Last Action:
The North Central (Ill.) Tip-Off Tournament is the season opener for Saint Mary's, Alma and Olivet.

SMU vs. Alma — Their Last Meeting:
Friday's season- and tournament-opening game between Saint Mary's and Alma will be the first-ever meeting between the Cardinals and the Scots.

SMU vs. Olivet — Their Last Meeting:
Saturday's game between Saint Mary's and Olivet will be the first-ever meeting between the Cardinals and the Comets.

SMU Up Next:
The Cardinals are off until Nov. 28, when they kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play against St. Olaf at 5:45 p.m. at the SMU Gym.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012-13 Roster | 2011-12 Final Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
SMU — picked fourth in the MIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll — unofficially kicked off its season last Saturday, knocking off NCAA Division II Winona State 74-68 in an exhibition game. It was SMU's first win over the Warriors since beating WSU 72-66 on Jan. 1, 2005. … The Cardinals qualified for the MIAC Tournament for the first time since the 2004-2005 season last year.  … SMU picked up its first post-season victory since the 2004-2005 season with its 55-52 win over St. Olaf in the MIAC Tournament opener on Feb. 21. …  The Cardinals finished with 14 wins in 2011-2012 — the most since SMU went 18-8 during the 2004-2005 season. … SMU's 55-52 tournament-opening win over St. Olaf marked the sixth time the Cardinals won when trailing at halftime last season. … The Cardinals' three-point win over St. Olaf on Feb. 21 was the 11th game decided by five points or less. Nine of SMU's 14 wins last season were by five points or less. … Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) and Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) were named to the All-MIAC First Team a year ago, while Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) was selected to the All-MIAC Defensive Team. … Thone led the team in scoring in 10 of the Cardinals' last 12 games and closed out her junior season with a team-leading 13.7 ppg scoring average. … Thone — who is just 178 points away from becoming the 10th player in SMU women's basketball history to reach the 1,000 career-point plateau — and Stefely each scored 10 or more points 21 times last season. … The Cardinals boasted a 20-point scorer five times last season. … Stefely led the team with 201 rebounds (7.4 rpg) and owned a team-best seven double-doubles last season. … As a team, SMU recorded 11 double-doubles a year ago. Along with Stefely's seven, Euerle had three and Thone had one. … Stefely, Euerle (170) and Thone (113) all eclipsed the 100-rebound plateau this season. … Thone, who eclipsed the 100-assist mark with six helpers against Macalester on Feb. 4, led the team — and the entire MIAC — with 123 assists last season. … Thone's 123 assists rank No. 5 all-time and are the most since Jamie Rattunde dished out 125 in both the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 seasons. … Thone also led the team in 3-pointers (41) and free throws made (100). … Stefely also closed out the season averaging in double figures at 12.3 ppg. … Adrianna Stephens (Madison, Wis.) pulled down a career-high eight rebounds against St. Olaf on Feb. 21, while Euerle hauled in a career-best 11 boards in SMU's tournament semifinal against St. Thomas. … The Cardinals, who averaged 56.2 ppg last season, knocked down 118 3-pointers. … The Cardinals missed just one free throw in their win over Hamline on Feb. 15, going 21-for-22 — led by Euerle (8-for-8), Thone (7-for-7) and Stefely (4-for-4). … SMU's 20 steals in its 60-59 OT loss to Concordia on Jan. 29 were a season high. … The Cardinals' top two offensive performances both came against St. Catherine — 69 points in their 69-44 win on Jan. 2, and 67 in their 67-44 victory on Feb. 1. …  SMU's 60-59 loss vs. Concordia on Jan. 29 was their only overtime game of the season for the Cardinals, who are looking for their first OT win since a 73-69 double-overtime victory over Bethel on Jan. 24, 2009. SMU was 0-2 in OT games a year ago, and 0-1 in 2009-10. … The Cardinals enjoyed a season-high five-game winning streak in early January — it was their longest win streak since opening the 2004-05 season with five consecutive wins. … With their 55-50 win at Saint Benedict on Jan. 25, 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. … 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.

Scouting The Alma Scots:
2012-13 Roster | 2011-12 Final Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
The Scots come into Friday's season-opening game against Saint Mary's coming off a 7-18 season a year ago that included a 5-11 mark in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAA). … Alma — which graduated just two players off last year's team — returns its top five scorers, led by Grace Wheeler, who averaged 9.2 ppg during her freshman campaign last season. … Brittney Deerfield was close behind, averaging 9.1 ppg. … Danielle Hicks made a team-best 71 field goals and a team-leading 64 free throws last season, while also topping the team in rebounds with 221. … Five of Alma's seven wins a year came came on the Scots' home court — they were just 2-11 on the road.

Scouting The Olivet Comets:
2012-13 Roster | 2011-12 Final Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
The Comets, who finished 7-18 overall a year ago, were picked to finish fifth in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Preseason Coaches' Poll. … Third-year head coach Nicole Burford returns eight letterwinners — including senior starters Mellissa Bageris, Brittany Brown, SoQuitta DeShazor and Kaleigh Hill. … Kelsey Campbell led the team in scoring a year ago, averaging 9.4 ppg, while DeShazor was second, scoring at an 8.5 ppg clip. … Campbell, meanwhile, also boasted a team-high 135 assists a year ago. … Along with her 8.5 ppg scoring average, DeShazor was also second on the team in rebounds with 142 (5.7 rpg). …  Campbell, DeShazor and Heather Lauwers each started all 25 games for the Comts a year ago. … After putting together a season-high three-game winning streak from Jan. 18-28, the Comets dropped five of their last six games to close out the 2011-12 season. … Olivet played just one overtime game a year ago, falling to Aquinas College 69-66 on Nov. 28. … Four of the Comets' seven wins last season came on their home floor. Olivet was 3-11 away from home.