MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team hits the road for the second straight game Saturday, traveling to Si Melby Hall on the Augsburg campus for a 1 p.m. conference showdown with the Auggies.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (8-3 MIAC | 11-3 Overall)
at Augsburg Auggies (3-8 MIAC | 5-9 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals got 20 points from Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) and cruised to a 68-56 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over St. Olaf Wednesday at Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn. … Augsburg, meanwhile, could not overcome Gustavus' 15-1 game-opening run Wednesday, as the Gusties handed the Auggies a 66-48 conference setback at Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn.

SMU vs. Augsburg — A Year Ago:
January 14, 2012: After scoring just 18 points in the game's opening 20 minutes, the Cardinals erupted for 39 points after the break en route to a 57-49 conference win over the Auggies at Si Melby Hall. Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) led the way for SMU, scoring a team-high 14 points.
February 11, 2012: Thanks in large part to a stellar first half, in which SMU outscored Augsburg 34-9, the Cardinals rolled past the Auggies 61-52 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.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are right back on the road on Monday, as the Cardinals head to Hutton Arena for a 7:30 p.m. MIAC game against Hamline. … Augsburg, meanwhile, is also on the road on Monday, as the Auggies venture to Arden Hills, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. conference matchup with Bethel.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
Saturday's game at Augsburg is the second of three straight road games for the Cardinals, who do not return home until next Wednesday, when they entertain league-leading St. Thomas in a 7:30 p.m. contest at the SMU Gym. … With their 68-56 win over St. Olaf Wednesday, SMU pushed its winning streak to three straight. … SMU has compiled winning streaks of five and three games — and the Cardinals have not lost back-to-back games all season. … Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) netted a team-high 20 points against St. Olaf Wednesday. … Thone has now scored 20 or more points twice this season and eight times in her career. … Thone's 20-point effort against St. Olaf was one point shy of her season-high 21-point showing against Gustavus on Jan. 2. … Thone has now scored 10 or more points in 25 of the team's last 30 games and has led the team in scoring in eight of their 14 games. … Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) and Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) each chipped in 11 points against the Oles on Wednesday. … The Cardinals boasted four players — Euerle (17), Stefely (12), Bridget Pethke (Larsen, Wis. / 12) and Thone (11) — in double figures against Bethel last Saturday. It was the second time this season SMU has posted four players in double figures. Thone (18), Stefely (12), Darcey Rice (Eagan / 12) and Euerle (10) all scored 10 points of more at Concordia on Dec. 7. … Euerle has now scored in double figures in four straight games, including a season-high 17-point effort against Bethel last Saturday. … Stefely and Euerle have accounted for SMU's three double-doubles this season. Stefely posted 21 points and 11 rebounds vs. Olivet on Nov. 17, and 15 points and 12 boards vs. Hamline on Dec. 3, while Euerle notched her first double-double of the season with an 11-point, 10-rebound effort against St. Catherine on Dec. 1. … Stefely has amassed 13 career double-doubles, while Euerle has recorded four in her three-year collegiate career. … Stefely enters Saturday's conference game at Augsburg averaging a team-best 12.1 ppg, while Thone is second at 11.5 ppg. … Thone, the conference assist leader a year ago with 123, has dished out a team-best 49 assists this season. … Thone has also knocked down 21 of the team's 53 3-pointers, while Rice is second with 15 treys. … As a team, the Cardinals drained a season-high nine 3-pointers against St. Olaf Wednesday and have knocked down 27 treys in their last four games. … The Cardinals held Macalester to 14 first-half points on Jan. 9, marking the second time this season SMU has held its opponent under 15 points in the game's opening 20 minutes. SMU limited St. Catherine to nine first-half points on Dec. 1. … As a team, the Cardinals dished out 28 assists vs. Bethel last Saturday, the most since the Cardinals tallied 28 assists vs. Cal Lutheran on Nov. 26, 2004. … The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 840-727 — including 424-351 in the first half. … With their 85-53 win over Bethel Saturday, the Cardinals improved to 5-0 on their home court this season. … SMU's 85 points against Bethel last Saturday were a season high, and the most by a Cardinal team since scoring 97 against Augsburg on Dec. 4, 2004. … SMU's 56-45 victory over UW-La Crosse on Dec. 12 completed a perfect 3-0 nonconference showing for the Cardinals, who also beat Alma (67-36) and Olivet (69-49) in non-league play. … SMU's loss to fourth-ranked St. Thomas on Dec. 5 snapped their season-opening five-game winning streak. It was the second straight season the Cardinals have put together a five-game win streak, and the first time they had opened the year 5-0 since 2004-05. …

Scouting The Augsburg Auggies:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
Wednesday's game against Gustavus was the fifth straight road game for the Auggies. … Augsburg's 66-48 loss to the Gusties was its second straight and third loss in the last four games. … Katie Ahlstrom was the only Auggie to reach double figures against Gustavus Wednesday, scoring 11 points. … Ahlstrom became the third different player in the Auggies' last three games to lead the team in scoring. … The Auggies have boasted two players who have scored 20 or more points this season — Jolene Blood netted a season-best 22 points in the team's first meeting with Gustavus on Nov. 28, while Jill Tichy tallied 21 points against Carleton on Jan. 9. … Anne Skriba enters Saturday's game against Saint Mary's with a team-leading 10.1 ppg scoring average. She is the only Auggie averaging in double figures through 14 games. … Abbey Luger is the team's leader in rebounds (74 / 5.3 rpg) and assists (46), while Tichy (22) and Blood (21) have accounted for 43 of the team's 70 3-pointers. … As a team, the Auggies are averaging 59.3 ppg. Augsburg scored a season-high 74 points against St. Scholastica on Nov. 20 and have broken the 70-point barrier twice this season. … Augsburg has outscored its opponents by four points, 830-826. … Three of Augsburg's five wins have come on the road — the Auggies are 2-5 on their home court.