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Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF SAINT MARY'S UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CARDINAL ATHLETICS
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Chris Ebert

Women's Basketball

Cardinals lock up MIAC playoff berth with win over Augsburg

Donny Nadeau, SMU Sports Information Director

SMU's Adrianna Stephens brings the ball up court during Saturday's MIAC game against Augsburg at the SMU Gym.
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WINONA, Minn. — The mission was simple — win and they're in.

Thanks in large part to stellar first half, in which the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team outscored Augsburg 34-9, the Cardinals accomplished their mission in convincing fashion, beating the Auggies 61-52 Saturday at the SMU Gym.

More importantly than their 12th conference win of the season, however, was what that win stood for — SMU's first berth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament since the 2004-2005 season.

With so much on the line, the Cardinals didn't show any signs of nervousness early on, as SMU scored 21 unanswered points to grab a 23-2 lead with nine minutes remaining in the opening half.

The Cardinals, who shot 57 percent from the field in the game's first 20 minutes, then closed out the half on a 11-5 run to take a 34-9 cushion into the locker room at the break.

The Auggies would surpass their first-half offensive output in the first seven minutes of the second half, but by that time, SMU boasted a 22-point, 41-19, advantage. Augsburg knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the game's final 12 seconds to cut the deficit to nine, but the Auggies never really challenged, as SMU completed its two-game season sweep and won for the third time in their last four games.

Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.), the reigning MIAC Player of the Week, scored a game-high 16 points to lead three SMU players in double figures. Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) chipped in 15 points and six rebounds, while Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) added 11 points.

Brittany Zins scored 16 points and added 11 rebounds in the losing effort for Augsburg, while Serenae Levin reached the 1,000-career point mark with her six points.

The Cardinals (12-8 MIAC, 12-11 overall) close out the regular season with a pair of road games next week. SMU travels to Hamline for a 7:30 p.m. contest against the Pipers on Wednesday, then square off against regular-season champion St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., on Saturday.
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