NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team hits the road on Monday, as the Cardinals head to Skoglund Center on the St. Olaf campus for a 7:30 p.m. conference contest against the Oles.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-1 MIAC | 4-1 Overall) at St. Olaf (2-0 MIAC | 4-1 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals built leads as big as 20 early in the second half, but had to hold off a furious Saint Benedict rally to record a 67-64 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory Saturday at the SMU Gym. … St. Olaf got 18 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks from Elise Raney as the Oles defeated Augsburg 64-55 in an MIAC game Saturday at Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn.

SMU vs. St. Olaf — A Year Ago:
November 28, 2012: The last time SMU and St. Olaf women's basketball teams met, it was in the opening game of the MIAC Tournament — and the Cardinals came away with a 55-52 victory. The Cardinals and Oles squared off again in another opener on Wednesday — the teams' conference opener. And for the second straight meeting, it was the Cardinals who had the upper hand, pulling away over the game's final 10 minutes to seal a 54-47 conference win at the SMU Gym.
January 16, 2013: Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) fueled the Cardinals' offensive attack, scoring a team-best 20 points — including 14 in the second half, as she eclipsed the 20-point barrier for the second time this season and the eighth time in her career — as the Cardinals completed a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference sweep of St. Olaf with a 68-56 victory at Skoglund Center.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are now off until Dec. 28, when they head to Naperville, Ill., for a 2 p.m. nonconference game against North Central. … St. Olaf is back on the court on Wednesday, as the Oles travel to St. Paul, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. conference game against St. Catherine.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
The Cardinals' 67-64 win over Saint Benedict Saturday was their fifth straight against the Blazers. … With their win Saturday, the Cardinals head into Monday's contest at St. Olaf having won nine of their last 11, and 18 of their last 20 over the past two seasons. … SMU's 78-69 loss to Bethel on Dec. 4 snapped the Cardinals' season-opening three-game winning streak. … Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) scored a team-leading 15 points in the Cardinals' win over Saint Benedict Saturday. … Euerle — an All-MIAC honorable-mention and MIAC All-Defensive Team selection for the second straight season last year — has scored 10 or more points in all five games this season and 32 times in her collegiate career. … Shelby Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn.) scored a career-high 18 points against Bethel on Dec. 4. …  Euerle or Auseth have now led the team in scoring in four of the Cardinals' five games. … Euerle and Auseth head into Monday's game at St. Olaf averaging in double figures at 13.0 ppg and 11.2 ppg, respectively. … Miriam Awoniyi (Country Club Hills, Ill.), who has scored 10 points in three of the team's five games, leads the team with 37 rebounds (7.4 rpg), two more than Euerle. … Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.), who leads the team with 25 assists, equaled her career-best with seven assists vs. Crown on Nov. 23. … As a team, the Cardinals have drained 27 3-pointers — including a season-high seven twice (vs. UW-La Crosse and vs. Crown). … SMU heads into Monday's game at St. Olaf averaging 76.8 ppg, while limiting its opponents to just 54.0 ppg. … With their win over Saint Benedict last Saturday, the Cardinals improved to 14-1 on their home court over the last two seasons — the lone loss coming at the hands of regular-season conference champion Concordia on Feb. 3, 2013. … The Cardinals broke a pair of long-standing school records with their 107-29 victory over Crown on Nov. 23. The Cardinals' 107 points were a school record — breaking the previous high of 106 set in a 106-30 win over Carleton on Feb. 19, 1986. SMU's 78-point margin of victory was also a new school record, two points better than the old mark of 76, also set during that Feb. 19, 1986 win over Carleton. … The Cardinals have now started 3-0 in each of their last two seasons. … Thanks to their 53-44 win over Macalester on Nov. 21, the Cardinals have opened conference play with a victory in each of the last four years.

Scouting The St. Olaf Oles:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
After playing four of their first five games on the road, the Oles will play four of their next five — beginning Monday against Saint Mary's — on their home court. …  With their win over Augsburg last Saturday, the Oles head into Monday's game against Saint Mary's having won two straight. … St. Olaf has sandwiched a pair of two-game winning streaks around its lone loss of the season, a 71-52 setback against Luther on Nov. 23. … Elise Raney scored 18 points and added 10 rebounds against Augsburg Saturday en route to her third straight double-double. … Raney went 6-for-7 from the field and hit 6 of 8 free throws en route to her 18 points, which were one shy of her season-high 19-point effort recorded four days earlier against Carleton. … Kim Cerjan also scored in double figures against the Auggies Saturday, tossing in 17 points as she and Raney accounted for 35 of the team's 64 points. … Cerjan and Raney, who have led the team in scoring in four of its five games, enter Monday's game against Saint Mary's leading the team with 16.8 ppg and 15.4 ppg scoring averages, respectively. … Nikki Frogner is also averaging in double figures at 13.0 ppg. … Raney is nearly averaging a double-double through five games, adding 9.4 rpg to her 15.4 ppg scoring average. … Cerjan (10) and Afton Wolter (8) have combined to drain 18 of the team's 30 3-pointers through five games. … The Oles are averaging 67.8 ppg, including a season-high 76-point effort in a 76-61 win over Occindental College on Nov. 16. …