MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team hits the road on Monday, as the Cardinals close out the first half of the MIAC schedule with a 5:45 p.m. game against Augsburg at Si Melby Hall.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (9-1 MIAC | 12-1 Overall) at Augsburg Auggies (4-5 MIAC | 7-5 Overall)

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Last Action:
Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) scored a season-high 20 points, and the Cardinals overcame a nine-point second-half deficit in beating Gustavus 67-58 Saturday at the SMU Gym. … Augsburg got 22 points from Jessica Lillquist and 19 from Jill Tichy, but could not keep pace with Bethel in a 67-58 loss to the Royals at Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn., Saturday.

SMU vs. Augsburg — A Year Ago:
January 19, 2013: It's been said that defense wins championships, and SMU has certainly taken that adage to heart. The Cardinals allowed Augsburg an additional five minutes and still held the Auggies six points under their season average, as SMU picked up its fourth straight win with a 59-53 overtime victory at Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn.
February 16, 2013: It took 12 minutes, but the Cardinals quickly put any fears coach Mandy Pearson may have had about any mental letdown to rest, as SMU rode a 22-10 run to end the first half and held off a late Auggie rally to post a 68-64 victory at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals return home on Wednesday, as SMU entertains Bethel in a 7:30 p.m. showdown of league-leaders at the SMU Gym. … Augsburg is back on its home court on Wednesday, hosting nationally ranked St. Thomas in a 7:30 p.m. conference game at Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
With their 67-58 win over Gustavus — and St. Thomas' loss to Concordia — the Cardinals moved into a share of the league lead with Bethel. The Cardinals and Royals are 9-1, while Concordia and St. Thomas are a half-game back at 9-2. … The Cardinals — who were among the "others receiving votes" in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 — pushed their winning streak to nine straight games Saturday with their 67-58 win over Gustavus. … SMU's current nine-game win streak marks the second straight season SMU has won nine straight. … The Cardinals' 12-1 overall record marks the first time since the 1985-86 season that SMU has started the season with 12 wins in their first 13 games. SMU opened 19-0 in 1985-86 en route to the program's last MIAC regular-season title and NCAA national tournament berth. … Saturday's win over Gustavus pushed SMU's home record to 6-0 this season. The Cardinals boast a 17-1 home-court record over the past two seasons. … Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) scored a game-, season- and career-high 20 points against Gustavus Saturday. … Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) and Natalie Larson (North Branch, Minn.) also scored in double figures vs. the Gusties Saturday with 14 and 10 points, respectively. … Pethke equaled her career high for the second straight game with her 14 points vs. GAC, while Larson's 10 points were a career best. … Over the past two games, Pethke has scored 15 of her 28 points from the free throw line — hitting 10 of 13 free throws vs. Hamline last Wednesday and 5 of 6 vs. the Gusties Saturday. … Shelby Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn.) owns the Cardinals highest single-game performance of the season, scoring a career-high 28 points in SMU's 99-81 win over North Central (Ill.) on Dec. 28. … Auseth's 28-point effort vs. North Central (Ill.) was the highest single-season output since Jess Miller tossed in 29 points against Gustavus on Dec. 7, 2009. … The Cardinals have had five or more players score in double figures in the same game three times this season — the Cardinals boasted six double-figure scorers in its 107-29 win over Crown on Nov. 23, five in their 99-81 victory over North Central (Ill.) on Dec. 28 and five in a 79-70 win over Hamline on Jan. 15. … Auseth and Euerle head into Monday's game at Augsburg averaging in double figures at 13.1 ppg and 11.2 ppg, respectively. … Euerle also leads the team with 97 rebounds (7.5 rpg) in 13 games. … Pethke, who leads the team with 63 assists, equaled her career-best with seven assists vs. St. Olaf on Dec. 9. It was the second time this season and sixth time in her collegiate career that Pethke has hit the seven-assist mark. … The Cardinals have recorded four games of eight or more 3-pointers this season — including a season-high nine treys against St. Olaf on Dec. 9 — owns 68 3-pointers through 11 games. … SMU's nine 3-pointers against St. Olaf were the most since tossing in nine against St. Olaf on Jan. 16, 2013. … SMU boasts four players — Rice (25), Schoenthaler (17), Auseth (15) and Pethke (11) — with 10 or more 3-pointers this season. … When the Cardinals beat North Central (Ill.) 99-81 on Dec. 28, they fell one point short of notching their second 100-point game of the season, having already set a school record with 107 points in a 107-29 win over Crown on Nov. 23. … SMU heads into Monday's game at Augsburg averaging 74.2 ppg, while limiting its opponents to just 57.6 ppg. … The Cardinals' 66-57 win over Concordia on Jan. 4 was SMU's first vs. the Cobbers in head coach Mandy Pearson's seven years at the helm — and snapped an 18-game losing streak against the Cobbers dating back to a 71-58 win on Feb. 15, 2004. It was also SMU's first win at Concordia's Memorial Auditorium since the Cardinals recorded a 58-46 win on Jan. 20, 2003. … 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.

Scouting The Augsburg Auggies:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Saturday's 67-58 loss to MIAC co-leader Bethel — which is, ironically, the same score that Monday's opponent, Saint Mary's, beat Gustavus by on Saturday — snapped the Auggies' season-high four-game winning streak. … Monday's game against Saint Mary's is the second in a three-game stretch in which the Auggies play teams in the top four in the conference standings. … The Auggies have now been held below 60 points in all five of their losses this season. On the flip side, Augsburg has scored 60 or more points in five of their seven wins. … The Auggies scored a season-high 88 points in a season-opening 88-33 win over Crown on Nov. 19. … Jessica Lillquist and Jill Tichy led the way for Augsburg vs. Bethel Saturday, scoring 22 and 19 points, respectively. … Lillquist has now scored in double figures in three straight games — including netting 20-plus points twice. … Tichy, who leads the Auggies with a 14.5 ppg scoring average, has now scored in double figures 11 times and Augsburg's 12 games this season. … Lillquist is also averaging in double figures for Augsburg, entering Monday's game vs. SMU with a 10.6 ppg average. … Augsburg owns four players with 50 or more rebounds, led by Jenna Orth with 60 (5.0 rpg). … The Auggies have drained 55 3-pointers this season, with Tichy (22) and Jolene Blood (13) accounting for 35 of them. … As a team, Augsburg is averaging 58.9 ppg, while its opponents are scoring at a 54.3 ppg clip. … Augsburg has outscored its opponents 707-652 — including 324-283 in the game's opening 20 minutes. … Five of Augsburg's seven wins this season have come at Si Melby Hall. The Auggies are just 2-3 on the road this season.