ST. PETER, Minn. — With the MIAC playoff chase heating up, the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team heads to Gustavus for a key 7:30 p.m. showdown against the Gusties.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (11-7 MIAC | 11-10 Overall)
at Gustavus Gusties (15-3 MIAC | 17-4 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to cruise to a 57-52 conference win over Macalester Saturday at the SMU Gym. … Gustavus, meanwhile, had little trouble recording conference win No. 15, as the Gusties rolled to a 71-49 MIAC win over St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn.

MIAC Playoff Picture:
With St. Thomas (18-0) and Gustavus (15-3) having already locked up playoff berths, there are seven teams battling for the final four spots with four games remaining. Concordia and St. Olaf are currently tied for third at 12-6, while the Cardinals are sitting in fifth at 11-7 — one game in front of Bethel (10-8) and two up on Augsburg (9-9). Saint Benedict (8-10) and Macalester (7-11) are also still mathematically alive.

SMU vs. Gustavus — Earlier This Year:
January 4, 2012: Gustavus raced out to a 38-20 halftime advantage and never looked back in handed the Cardinals a 59-45 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the SMU Gym.

SMU vs. Gustavus — A Year Ago:
January 22, 2011: No matter what they tried to do, the Cardinals just couldn't get over the hump against Gustavus. The Cardinals had numerous opportunities to overcome deficits, but never could quite get the job done, as they fell to the Gusties 64-49 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the SMU Gym.
February 19, 2011: Jess Miller made the most of her final collegiate game, as the SMU senior poured in a season-high 25 points. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Miller's effort was not enough, as Gustavus held off a late SMU rally to post a 77-70 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory.

Up Next:
The Cardinals close out their home schedule on Saturday, as SMU hosts Augsburg in a 3 p.m. conference contest at the SMU Gym. It will be the final collegiate regular-season home game for Cardinal senior Emily DeWitt (Lino Lakes, Minn.). … Gustavus, meanwhile, hits the road Saturday, traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for a 3 p.m. MIAC game against Macalester.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule | 2011-12 Media Guide
Starting with Wednesday's game against Gustavus, the Cardinals play three of their final four games on the road. … With their five-point, 57-52 win over Macalester Saturday, the Cardinals improved to 11-10 overall, marking the second straight season SMU has won 11 games. … SMU's win over the Scots was also the Cardinals' 11th conference win, their most since going 13-7 in 2004-2005, which was also the last time SMU reached the MIAC playoffs. … Saturday's win over Macalester, in which the Cardinals' trailed by five, 28-23, at halftime, marked the fourth time this season SMU has won when trailing at the half. … The Cardinals, who have won two straight, are now 8-3 in their last 11 games. … Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) — the reigning MIAC Player of the Week — scored 20 points against Macalester Saturday, marking the sixth straight game in which the Cardinal junior has led the team in scoring. … Thone's 20-point effort vs. the Scots marked the second time in a week — and sixth time in her career — that she has scored 20 or more points. … Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) picked up her team-leading seventh double-double of the season vs. Macalester Saturday, scoring 18 points and adding 11 rebounds. … Stefely, who has now posted eight double-doubles in her three-year collegiate career, has now scored in double figures 15 times this season, including a career-high 25 points in SMU's first meeting against Macalester on Jan. 7. … SMU has recorded 11 double-doubles this season. Along with Stefely's seven, Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) owns three and Thone has one. … Thone has recorded one double-double in each of her three seasons at SMU. …  Thone — who has scored 10 or more points in 11 straight games and 16 times in SMU's 21 games — enters Wednesday's game at Gustavus boasting a team-leading 13.4 ppg. … Thone, who eclipsed the 100-assist mark with six helpers against Macalester, leads the MIAC with 102 assists this season. Thone also leads the team in 3-pointers (30) and free throws made (75). … Stefely also enters Wednesday's game against Gustavus averaging in double figures at 11.5 ppg. … Stefely also owns a team-best 167 rebounds (8.0 rpg). … The Cardinals, who are averaging 56.6 ppg this season, have knocked down 93 3-pointers. … SMU's 20 steals in its 60-59 OT loss to Concordia on Ja. 29 were a season high. … The Cardinals' top two offensive performance have both come against St. Catherine — 69 points in their 69-44 win on Jan. 2, and 67 in Wednesday's 67-44 victory. …  SMU's 60-59 loss vs. Concordia on Jan. 29 was the first overtime game of the season for the Cardinals, who are still 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. … 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. 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. … 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.

Gustavus Gusties News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
With their 71-49 win over St. Catherine Saturday, the Gusties have won two of their last three games. … GAC had its season-high 12-game winning streak snapped on Jan. 28 in a 72-52 loss to league-leading St. Thomas. The Tommies have now handed Gustavus two of its four losses this season. … The Gusties' 71-point outburst against the Wildcats marked the ninth time this season Gustavus has scored 70 or more points. … Molly Geske — playing in her 100th career game for the Gusties — scored a game-high 17 points against St. Catherine Saturday. … Kelsey Florian came off the bench to chip in 15 points, including a 7-for-8 showing from the free throw line. … Geske is the only Gustie averaging in double figures, as the senior enters Wednesday's showdown with Saint Mary's averaging 14.0 ppg. … Geske also owns the team's lead in field goals made (110) and 3-pointers (30). … Abby Rothenbuehler is the team-leader in rebounds (166 / 7.9 rpg), while sitting second to Geske in scoring at 9.0 ppg. … The Gusties, who have outscored their opponents 669-527 in the first half and 718-618 in the second, has trailed at halftime in all four of its losses this season. … GAC is a near-perfect 8-1 on its home floor this season, while going 9-3 away from Gus Young Court.