WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team is back on their home court for the second time in as many days on Sunday, as the Cardinals host league-leading Concordia in a key MIAC matchup. Tip is set for 1 p.m. at the SMU Gym.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (14-3 MIAC | 17-3 Overall)
vs. Concordia Cobbers (15-2 MIAC | 16-4 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Action:
The Cardinals held Carleton to just 14 first-half points and cruised to a 57-46 MIAC win at the SMU Gym Saturday. … Concordia, meanwhile, maintained its one-game lead over SMU with a 66-45 win over Macalester at Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn. on Saturday.

SMU vs. Concordia — Earlier This Year:
January 7, 2013: Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) scored 18 points and led four Cardinals in double figures, but it was not enough to overcome a sizzling Concordia first half, as the Cobbers handed the Cardinals an 81-68 MIAC setback at Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn.

SMU vs. Concordia — A Year Ago:
December 7, 2011: Trailing by 15 points at the half, the Cardinals put together a second-half comeback for the ages, as SMU used a 27-10 run in the first 13 minutes to take a 54-52 lead, then held a two-point, 61-59 advantage with 1:49 remaining in regulation. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the Cobbers rained on their second-half parade, getting a game-winning layup from Emily Thesing with five seconds on the clock to break a 61-61 tie and hand SMU a heartbreaking 63-61 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Memorial Auditorium.
January 29, 2012: The first time SMU and Concordia squared off, it was a last-second field goal that lifted the Cobbers to a 62-61 victory in Moorhead, Minn. In their second meeting of the year at the SMU Gym, it was a last-second field goal that wouldn't fall that proved to be the difference, as SMU could not covert on possessions in the waning seconds of both regulation and overtime in dropping their second heartbreaking decision to the Cobbers, 60-59.

Up Next:
After three straight home games, the Cardinals hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for an MIAC game against Macalester. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. at Leonard Center. … Concordia, meanwhile, is back on the road on Wednesday, traveling to St. Joseph, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. conference game at Saint Benedict.

MIAC Playoff Picture:
With Saturday's win over Carleton, the Cardinals locked up their second straight MIAC tournament berth, while also maintaining a share of second place in the conference standings. Concordia enters Sunday's game vs. SMU leading the league with a 15-2 record, one win ahead of SMU and Saint Benedict, who are tied for second at 14-3. St. Thomas is fourth (13-4), with Gustavus (11-6) and Hamline (10-7) rounding out the top six.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
Saturday's win over Carleton was the Cardinals' ninth straight — their longest since SMU opened the 1985-86 season with a 19-game winning streak. … That 1985-85 season was also the last time the Cardinals won a MIAC regular-season title. … The Cardinals' win against Carleton Saturday was also their 17th of the season — the most in coach Mandy Pearson's six years and the most since the 2004-2005 season, when SMU finished 18-8. … With Saturday's win, the Cardinals enter Sunday's showdown with Concordia boasting a perfect 8-0 record on their home court. … The Cardinals held Carleton to just 14 first-half points Saturday, marking the fifth time this season SMU has limited its opponent to fewer than 15 points in the opening 20 minutes. SMU held Alma (Nov. 16), Macalester (Jan. 9) and Augsburg (Jan. 19) each to 14 first-half points, while allowing just nine points in the first half in its first meeting with St. Catherine on Dec. 1. … Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) netted a team-high 16 points against Carleton on Saturday. … Thone has now scored in double figures in 31 of the team's last 36 games. … With the seventh of her game-high 18 points against Hamline on Jan. 21, Thone became the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. … With Saturday's 16 points, Thone moved into the No. 8 spot all-time with 1,065 points. … Thone became the third straight Jess to eclipse the 1,000 career-point barrier — following Jessica Weisbrod (1,054, 2004-08) and Jess Miller (1,203, 2007-11). … Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) also scored in double figures against the Knights Saturday, pouring in 12 points, while Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) had nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds. … Stefely recorded her fourth double-double of the season — and 15th of her career — with a 12-point, 10-rebound effort against St. Catherine on Jan. 26. … The Cardinals have had a player score 20 or more points six times this season — four by Stefely and two by Thone. … Thone has scored 20 or more points eight times in her four-year collegiate career, while Stefely has eclipsed 20 points seven times. … Stefely owns the team's top single-game scoring performance, netting a game- and season-high 23 points in SMU's win over nationally ranked St. Thomas on Jan. 23. … The Cardinals have posted three games with four double-figure scorers this season. … Stefely enters Sunday's conference game against Concordia averaging a team-best 12.8 ppg, while Thone is second at 12.2 ppg. … Thone, the conference assist leader a year ago with 123, dished out a season-high eight assists vs. St. Thomas on Jan. 23, and owns a team-best 72 helpers this season. … Thone has also knocked down 29 of the team's 84 3-pointers, while Darcey Rice (Eagan, Minn. / 20), Bridget Pethke (Larsen, Wis. / 14) and Sara Schoenthaler (Hugo, Minn. / 11) have also netted 10 or more treys. … As a team, the Cardinals drained a season-high nine 3-pointers against St. Olaf on Jan. 16. … The Cardinals dished out 28 assists vs. Bethel on Jan. 12, the most since the Cardinals tallied 28 assists vs. Cal Lutheran on Nov. 26, 2004. … The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 1213-1039, and enter Sunday's game vs. Concordia averaging 60.7 ppg. … SMU's 85 points against Bethel on Jan. 12 were a season high, and the most by a Cardinal team since scoring 97 against Augsburg on Dec. 4, 2004. … SMU's 62-59 win over Augsburg on Jan. 19 was the Cardinals' first overtime game of the season. The win also snapped a streak of four straight OT losses, dating back to a 73-69 double-overtime win over Bethel on Jan. 24, 2009. … In the span of back-to-back Wednesdays, the Cardinals put an end to a pair of length losing streaks — SMU snapped an 11-game slide against St. Thomas with a 62-56 win over the then-nationally ranked Tommies on Jan. 23, then ended a 13-game losing streak against Gustavus with Wednesday's 65-58 victory. … 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.

Scouting The Concordia Cobbers:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
Concordia's 66-45 win at Macalester Saturday was the Cobbers' seventh straight victory. CC has not lost since dropping a 73-66 decision to Hamline on Jan. 12. … The Cobbers have also won 13 of their last 14 games. … The 15 conference wins marks the 10th straight season that Concordia has posted at least 15 MIAC victories. That is the longest streak of any team in the MIAC. … The Cobbers have recorded eight wins at home and eight wins on the road this season. … With the 10th of her game-high 13 rebounds, Tricia Sorenson became the 15th player in Concordia history to notch 500 career rebounds. … Alley Fisher went 3-for-4 from behind the 3-point line en route to a game-high 15 points against Macalester Saturday. … Emily Thesing and Alexandra Lippert also scored in double figures vs. the Scots, netting 14 and 12 points, respectively. … Lippert also hauled down 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. … Concordia enters Sunday's showdown with Saint Mary's boasting four players averaging in double figures, led by Sorensen at 14.3 ppg. Thesing (12.5 ppg), Fisher (11.2 ppg) and Lippert (10.2 ppg) are the other three. … The Cobbers have boasted a 20-point scorer six times this season. Sorensen and Thesing have each netted a season-best 23 points. Thesing has also scored 22 and 20 points, while Sorensen has added a pair of 20-point games. … Sorensen also owns a team-best 134 rebounds, with Lippert close behind with 123. … Thesing leads the team in assists (83) and steals (39), while her 36 3-point field goals are also a team-high. … Thesing (36), Fisher (29) and Sorensen (16) have accounted for 81 of the team's 104 3-pointers. … The Cobbers have outscored their opponents 1340-1152, and head to Saint Mary's averaging 67.0 ppg. … Concordia has scored 80 or more points four times — including a season-high 83-point effort against Carleton on Dec. 11.