WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team is back on its home court on Saturday, as the Cardinals square off against Gustavus in a key Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the SMU Gym. Opening tip is set for 1 p.m.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (8-1 MIAC | 11-1 Overall) vs. Gustavus Gusties (3-6 MIAC | 6-6 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals — who got double-figure scoring from five different players — rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit to beat Hamline 79-70 Wednesday evening at Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn. … Gustavus did not have an answer for St. Thomas' red-hot shooting from the outside, as the Tommies made 10 of 14 3-pointers in handing the Gusties a 79-52 conference setback at Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn.

SMU vs. Gustavus — A Year Ago:
January 2, 2013: SMU boasted three players in double figures in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown with Gustavus. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the Gusties answered with five double-figure scorers, as GAC outlasted SMU 86-66 in a battle of conference heavyweights at Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn.
January 30, 2013: The Cardinals rallied from a two-point, 29-27 halftime deficit, scoring the first five points of the second half — then using a late, 8-0 run to take the lead for good — en route to a 65-58 victory at the SMU Gym.
February 19, 2013: If SMU has proven anything this year, it's that the Cardinals are cool under pressure. And in the most pressure-packed game of the season, the Cardinals were at their coolest. Unfazed by a 14-point deficit two minutes into the second half of its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament game against Gustavus, SMU methodically picked apart the Gusties' defense, outscoring GAC 40-19 over the game's final 18 minutes en route to a 76-69 victory at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals take to the road on Monday, as SMU heads to Minneapolis, Minn., for a 5:45 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Augsburg. … Gustavus returns to St. Peter, Minn., on Monday, as GAC entertains St. Catherine in a 7 p.m. contest at Gus Young Court.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
The Cardinals picked up their eighth straight win with Wednesday's come-from-behind 79-70 win at Hamline Wednesday. … Their current winning streak marks the second straight season the Cardinals have put together a winning streak of eight of more games — the Cardinals won nine straight a year ago. … With the victory over the Pipers, the Cardinals improved to 11-1 overall, marking the first time since the 1985-86 season — when they opened the year 19-0 — that SMU has opened the year with wins in 11 of their first 12 games. … Wednesday's win over Hamline also kept the Cardinals in a virtual tie atop the conference standings with St. Thomas and Bethel. The Tommies are sitting at 9-1 in conference play, while SMU and Bethel are one-half game back at 8-1. … SMU's 68-55 win over Carleton last Monday pushed the Cardinals' record to 5-0 on their home court this season. SMU boasts a 16-1 record on their home court over the last two seasons — the lone loss coming at the hands of 2013-14 regular-season conference champion Concordia on Feb. 3, 2013. … For the fourth game in a row, and eighth time this season, Shelby Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn.) — the reigning MIAC Athlete of the Week — led the team in scoring against Hamline Wednesday, tossing in 16 points. … Auseth, who scored a career-high 28 points in SMU's 99-81 win over North Central (Ill.) on Dec. 28, has scored in double figures in nine of the team's 12 games. … 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. … Auseth was one of five SMU players to score in double figures vs. the Pipers Wednesday — Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis. / 14), Sara Schoenthaler (White Bear Lake, Minn. / 12), Darcey Rice (Eagan, Minn. / 12) and Mariam Awoniyi (Country Club Hills, Ill. / 10) were the others. … Pethke scored 10 of her season-high 14 points from the free throw line, where the sophomore was 10-for-13. … The Cardinals have now 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 and five in their 99-81 victory over North Central (Ill.) on Dec. 28. … Auseth and Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) head into Saturday's game vs. Gustavus averaging in double figures at 13.6 ppg and 10.4 ppg, respectively. … Auseth, who is shooting 48 percent from the field (58-for-121), ranks third in the conference in field goal percentage. … Euerle also leads the team with 90 rebounds (7.1 rpg) in 12 games. … Pethke, who leads the team with 61 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 drained eight 3-pointers against Hamline, led by Rice and Auseth with three each. … Saint Mary's has now recorded four games of eight or more 3-pointers — 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 (16), Auseth (15) and Pethke (10) — with 10 or more 3-pointers this season. … Rice (25-for-60, 42%) and Schoenthaler (16-for-39, 41%) rank No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, in the MIAC in 3-point field goal percentage. … 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 Saturday's game vs. Gustavus averaging 74.8 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 Gustavus Gusties:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
With Wednesday's 79-52 loss to St. Thomas, the Gusties head into Saturday's game against Saint Mary's having dropped four of their last five and six of their last eight. … GAC's 89-81 win over Carleton last Saturday snapped its three-game losing streak. … Karina Schroeder, Anna Lundquist and Julia Dysthe all scored 10 points to lead the Gusties' offense against St. Thomas Wednesday. … Twenty of the Gusties' 52 points vs. St. Thomas came from their bench. … Gustavus enters Saturday's game at Saint Mary's boasting three players averaging in double figures — Julia Dysthe (16.1 ppg), Britta Rinke (14.7 ppg) and Schroeder (12.3 ppg). … GAC has had a player eclipse the 20-point barrier five times this season, led by Rinke with a season-high 28-point effort against St. Olaf on Jan. 4. Rinke has also posted a 25-point game, while Dysthe has netted 25 and 23 points and Schroeder has tallied 23. … Schroeder leads the team with 102 rebounds (8.5 rpg) and has led the team in rebounding in six of their 12 games. … Schroeder has tallied four double-doubles this season. … Dysthe has drained 15 3-pointers to account for nearly half of the Gusties' 36 3-pointers this season. … As a team, Gustavus is averaging 66.1 ppg, while the Gusties' opponents are scoring at a 63.2 ppg clip. … Gustavus' 89 points in their 89-81 win over Carleton last Saturday were a season high. On the flip side, St. Thomas' 79 points were the second-most scored on the Gusties behind last Saturday's 81 surrendered to Carleton.