WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team — coming off a 40-22 victory over St. Catherine on Saturday — is back on its home court on Monday, hosting Hamline in a 7:30 p.m. MIAC game at the SMU Gym.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-0 MIAC | 4-0 Overall)
vs. Hamline Pipers (0-2 MIAC | 0-4 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats/Video | Video Preview | GameDay Program

Last Action:
The Cardinals stayed perfect on the season, getting a double-double from Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) en route to a 40-22 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over St. Catherine Saturday. … Hamline, meanwhile, got double-figure scoring from two players, but it was not enough, as the Pipers dropped a 59-41 decision to St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.

SMU vs. Hamline — A Year Ago:
January 16, 2012: It wasn't the 39-point second-half outburst SMU put together in a 57-49 win over Augsburg — but it was enough. Just two days after rallying for their third straight win with that 39-point effort against the Auggies, the Cardinals scored 32 second-half points against Hamline, rallying from a seven-point halftime deficit to beat the Pipers 52-49 at the SMU Gym.
February 15, 2012: After 20 minutes, the Cardinals found themselves staring at a two-point, 28-26, deficit. In other words, the Cardinals had the Pipers right where they wanted them. SMU used a 19-6 run to open the second half to take a 45-34 advantage, and the Cardinals would never relinquish the lead, beating the Pipers 60-56 at Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals take to the road on Wednesday, traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. conference showdown with nationally ranked St. Thomas. … Hamline, meanwhile, returns to the friendly confines of Hutton Arena on Wednesday, hosting Augsburg in a 7:30 p.m. MIAC game.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
The Cardinals enter Monday's game against Hamline — their third straight home game — looking to go 5-0 for the first time since the start of the 2004-05 season. … With their 54-47 win over St. Olaf last Wednesday, the Cardinals have now won their conference opener in each of the last three seasons. … The Cardinals' limited St. Catherine to just 22 points in last Saturday's 40-22 victory. It was the fewest points allowed since SMU held Northwestern to 18 points in a 71-18 win on Feb. 16, 1979. … Saint Mary's held St. Catherine to just nine first-half points on Saturday. It was the fewest points allowed in a half by the Cardinals since limiting Augsburg to nine first-half points on Feb. 11, 2012. … Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinals against St. Catherine on Saturday, scoring a team-high 11 points and adding a team-best 10 rebounds. It was the first double-double of the season and fourth of her collegiate career. … Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) recorded a career-best six steals against St. Catherine Saturday. … Thone was held to five points against the Wildcats, marking just the second time in the last 20 games that the senior has failed to score in double figures. … With her five points against St. Catherine on Saturday, Thone closed to within 140 points of becoming the 10th player in SMU women's basketball history to reach the 1,000 career-point plateau. … Thone — who led the entire MIAC with 123 assists a year ago — equaled her collegiate-high, dishing out seven assists in SMU's win over Olivet on Nov. 17. … Thone's 123 assists a year ago ranked No. 5 all-time and are the most since Jamie Rattunde dished out 125 in both the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 seasons. … Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) enters Monday's game vs. Hamline with an 11.3 ppg scoring average, while Thone is close behind at 9.5 ppg. … Stefely's 21-point performance vs. Olivet on Nov. 17 marked the fourth time in her collegiate career that the Cardinal senior has eclipsed the 20-point mark and was just four points shy of her collegiate-best 25-point showing against Macalester on Jan. 7, 2012. … Stefely also hauled in 11 rebounds vs. Olivet for her first double-double of the season. Stefely had seven double-doubles a year ago and now has 12 double-doubles in her career. … The Cardinals' 69 points in their 69-49 win over Olivet on Nov. 17 equaled SMU's highest offensive output from all of last season. The Cardinals scored 69 points in a 69-44 win over St. Catherine on Jan. 2, 2012.

Scouting The Hamline Pipers:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
Hamline enters Monday's contest against Saint Mary's still looking for its first win of the season. The Pipers dropped back-to-back nonconference games to Wisconsin Lutheran (58-53) and UW-Stout (62-56), before coming up empty in MIAC contests against Saint Benedict (87-72) and St. Thomas (59-41). … Hamline recorded season highs in points and points allowed in its 87-72 loss to Saint Benedict. … Saturday's game against St. Thomas was the home opener for the Pipers, who play six of their first eight games on the road. … Jordan Sammons and Steph Pilgrim each scored 11 points to lead the Pipers against St. Thomas Saturday. … It was the third straight game that Sammons has led the team in scoring. … Pilgrim also had a team-best seven rebounds against the Tommies. It was the fourth straight game the Pipers have had a different leader in rebounds. … Sammons and Pilgrim, who have been the team's scoring leader in each of the first four games, enter Monday's game vs. Saint Mary's boasting scoring averages of 14.8 and 13.8 ppg, respectively. … Hamline has been outscored 266-222 — including 134-105 in the second half.