ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team kicks off its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schedule on Thursday, as the Cardinals travel to Macalester for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with the Scots.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0 MIAC | 1-0 Overall) at Macalester Scots (0-0 MIAC | 1-2 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals kicked off their season in impressive fashion last Saturday, as SMU raced out to a 19-3 lead and never looked back in routing UW-La Crosse 88-55 at the SMU Gym. … Macalester, which opened its season by going 1-1 at the Saint Benedict Tournament last weekend — beating St. Scholastica 57-53 and falling to UW-Superior 61-40 — dropped its second game of the year Tuesday, falling to Northwestern 52-48 in Roseville, Minn.

SMU vs. Macalester — A Year Ago:
January 9, 2013: SMU spotted Macalester the game's first four points, and then put the pedal to the metal and cruised to a 51-40 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory at the SMU Gym. Trailing 4-0, the Cardinals went on an 11-minute, 16-0 run to grab a 16-4 lead and left the Scots in their rearview mirror in pushing their conference record to 6-3.
February 6, 2013: It may not have been pretty, and it may have given SMU coach Mandy Pearson a few gray hairs, but the bottom line was, when the final horn sounded, the Cardinals had conference win No. 15. Trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half, the Cardinals used a 24-7 run over the game's final nine minutes to rally for a 55-53 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over the host Scots at Leonard Center.

Up Next:
The Cardinals step out of conference play on Saturday, as SMU hosts Crown in a 5:30 p.m. nonconference contest at the SMU Gym. … Macalester is now off until Dec. 4, when they host Concordia in a 5:45 p.m. conference game at Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
With their win over UW-La Crosse Saturday, the Cardinals have now won their season-opener in back-to-back seasons. … The Cardinals' 88 points against the Eagles Saturday were the most by an SMU team since Jan. 12, 2005, when Saint Mary's beat Hamline 88-78. … With Saturday's victory over UW-La Crosse, the Cardinals have now won 15 of their last 17 games. … Shelby Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn.) scored a career-high 16 points in leading the Cardinals against UW-La Crosse last Saturday. Auseth's previous career-best was 12 points against Saint Benedict on Feb. 13, 2013. … Courtney Euerle (Hutchinson, Minn.) — who was an All-MIAC honorable-mention and MIAC All-Defensive Team selection for the second straight season last year — chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds against the Eagles Saturday. … Euerle's 15-point effort was the 28th time in her collegiate career that she has netted 10 or more points. … As a team, the Cardinals drained seven 3-pointers against UW-La Crosse Saturday — including back-to-back-to-back treys on their first three shots to open the game. … With Saturday's win, the Cardinals improved to 12-1 on its home court over the last two seasons — the lone loss coming at the hands of regular-season conference champion Concordia on Feb. 3, 2013 … SMU forced UW-La Crosse into 25 turnovers Saturday.

Scouting The Macalester Scots:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Thursday's game against Saint Mary's is the home opener for the Scots, who played their first three contests of the season on the road. … Macalester heads into Thursday's game looking to snap a two-game losing streak. … Macalester scored a season-high 57 points in their season-opening 57-53 win over St. Scholastica. The Scots have been held under 50 points in its last two games. … Veronika Jakubovie led the Scots in scoring for the third straight game against Northwestern Tuesday, netting 10 points, while also adding seven rebounds. … Jakubovie is averaging a team-best 11.0 ppg. She is the only Scot averaging in double figures. … Jakubovie also leads the team in rebounds with 22 (7.3 rpg). … Macalester has been outscored 83-62 in the second half — including 29-19 in Tuesday's loss to Northwestern.