Complete All-MIAC Women's Basketball Team

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team put together its best season in seven years, as the Cardinals compiled a 13-9 conference record and earned their first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference post-season appearance since the 2004-2005 season.

Not satisfied with just making the post-season, SMU also collected its first post-season victory since that same 2004-2005 season, as the Cardinals knocked off fourth-seeded St. Olaf 55-52.

And Wednesday, the 2011-2012 Cardinals were once again tied to that 2004-2005 team, as Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) and Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) were named to the All-MIAC First Team, marking the first time since Ashley Luehmann and Jamie Rattunde seven years ago that SMU has had two athletes named to the all-conference first team.

Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) was the third Cardinal honored by the MIAC Wednesday, as the sophomore earned MIAC All-Defensive Team honors.

Bethel's Taylor Sheley was named MIAC Player of the Year, while Kelsey Florian of Gustavus earned MIAC Sixth Player of the Year honors and St. Thomas' Ruth Sinn was tabbed MIAC Coach of the Year.

Thone, who scored 18 and 16 points, respectively in SMU's two MIAC Tournament games against St. Olaf and St. Thomas, 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 points-per-game scoring average. Thone scored 10 or more points in 21 of the Cardinals' 27 games.

And scoring proved to be just a portion of Thone's vast repertoire. 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 this season. Her 123 assists rank No. 5 all-time and are the most since Rattunde dished out 125 assists in both the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 seasons. Thone also led the team in 3-pointers (41) and free throws made (100).

Like Thone, Stefely had a brilliant junior campaign this season, averaging 12.3 ppg, while also leading the team with 201 rebounds (7.4 rpg) — the second-highest rebounding total in the MIAC. Stefely, who scored 10 or more points 21 times this season — including a career-best 25-point effort against Macalester on Jan. 7 — owned a team- and career-best seven double-doubles this season.

Euerle finished third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.6 ppg, while chipping in 170 rebounds (6.3 rpg). The sophomore post scored a career-best 17 points against Saint Benedict on Dec. 5 and pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds in SMU's rematch with the Blazers on Jan. 25. Euerle also recorded her first three collegiate double-doubles this season.

As part of the conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the sixth annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for women's basketball, which included SMU's Emily DeWitt (Lino Lakes, Minn.)