ST. JOSEPH Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team hits the road on Saturday, as the Cardinals travel to Saint Benedict for a key MIAC showdown with the Blazers.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (11-1 MIAC | 14-1 Overall) at Saint Benedict Blazers (6-5 MIAC | 9-5 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals maintained their stranglehold on the top spot in the conference standings, cruising to a 71-54 win over Bethel Wednesday at the SMU Gym. The victory avenged SMU's lone loss of the season, a 78-69 loss to the Royals in the teams' conference-opener on Dec. 4. … Saint Benedict outscored St. Catherine 37-17 in the second half in rolling to a 63-41 MIAC win over the Wildcats in St. Paul, Minn.

SMU vs. Saint Benedict — Earlier This Year:
December 7, 2013: The Cardinals appeared to have things comfortably under control, outscoring the Blazers 36-19 in the game's opening 20 minutes. But the Blazers turned the tables after the halftime intermission, erupting for 45 second-half points. Fortunately for the Cardinals, 45 points was not enough, as SMU used a half-ending 5-1 run to seal a 67-64 victory at the SMU Gym.

SMU vs. Saint Benedict — A Year Ago:
December 8, 2012: Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) scored a team-high 12 points in the Cardinals' MIAC game against Saint Benedict — but none were more important than her last two. Thone took the in-bounds pass, drove the length of the court and drained a jumper with nine seconds remaining in regulation, as the Cardinals handed the Blazers a 60-58 MIAC setback in St. Joseph, Minn.
February 13, 2013: There were plenty of stars shining for SMU — but none shined brighter than Shelby Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn.). In arguably the biggest game of the season, the Cardinal freshman came up with her biggest game, as Auseth netted a career-high 12 points — including a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the second half — to spark SMU to a 70-62 conference victory over Saint Benedict at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals return home on Wednesday, as SMU begins a three-game home stand with a 7:30 p.m. conference game against St. Olaf at the SMU Gym. … Saint Benedict is also off until Wednesday, when the Blazers travel to Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. MIAC contest against Hamline.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
With their 67-64 win over CSB earlier this year, the Cardinals have now won five straight against the Blazers. … The Cardinals head into Saturday's rematch with Saint Benedict ranked No. 25 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 — while also receiving votes in the USA TODAY Sports Division III Coaches Poll. … With Wednesday's victory over Bethel, SMU pushed its winning streak to 11 straight — the longest since the Cardinals opened the 1985-86 season 19-0. That 1985-86 squad went on to win SMU's last MIAC regular-season title and qualify for the NCAA national tournament, finishing the season 24-3 overall. … Fueled by Wednesday's victory over Bethel, the Cardinals improved to 7-0 on their home floor this season. SMU is 18-1 at home over the past two seasons. … For the third straight game, Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) led the team in scoring Wednesday against Bethel. The senior, who enjoyed back-to-back career-high 20-point nights against Gustavus and Augsburg, finished with 16 points vs. the Royals. … Euerle also recorded a game-high 12 rebounds for her first double-double of the season and fifth of her career. … Euerle's 12 rebounds were one shy of her career-high 13, recorded against Saint Benedict on Jan. 25, 2012. … Euerle has now scored 10 or more points 10 times this season and 38 times in her collegiate career. … Euerle was one of four Cardinals to score in double figures vs. Bethel Wednesday — Darcey Rice (Eagan, Minn. / 12 points), Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis. / 11 points) and Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn. / 10 points) were the other three. … Pethke and Natalie Larson (North Branch, Minn.) each enjoyed career nights vs. Gustavus on Jan. 18 — Pethke netted 14 points to equal her career high, while Larson chipped in a career-high 10 points. … 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 share the team lead in scoring average, heading into Saturday's matchup with Saint Benedict owning 11.9 ppg averages. … Euerle also leads the team with 115 rebounds (7.7 rpg) in 15 games. … Pethke, who leads the team with 73 assists, equaled her career-best with seven assists vs. Bethel Wednesday. It was the third time this season and seventh 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 — and owns 89 3-pointers through 15 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 (29), Schoenthaler (18), Auseth (15) and Pethke (12) — with 10 or more 3-pointers this season. … SMU heads into Saturday's game against Saint Benedict averaging 72.6 ppg, while limiting its opponents to just 56.9 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. … 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. … 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 Saint Benedict Blazers:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
With Saturday's 63-41 win over St. Catherine, the Blazers head into Saturday's showdown with Saint Mary's having won back-to-back games and four of their last five. … Tish Alexander scored a team-best 16 points, while Brianna Barrett chipped in 14 for CSB in its win over St. Catherine Wednesday. … Alexander has now led the team in scoring three times this season. … The Blazers have had a different leading scorer in each of their last three games — including a season-high 29-point effort by Barrett against Concordia on Jan. 15. … Barrett's effort against Concordia marked the only time this season the Blazers have had a player eclipse the 20-point mark. … CSB has three players averaging in double figures — Barrett (15.2 ppg), Alexander (10.4 ppg) and Morgan Dale (10.3 ppg). … Dale also leads the team in rebounds (153 / 10.9 rpg) and has posted a team-high five double-doubles this season. … Saint Benedict has drained 76 3-pointers this season, led by Alexander (20), Emily Lueck (17) and Dale (16). … CSB has been outscored 423-418 in the first half, but the Blazers own a 503-412 scoring advantage over the game's final 20 minutes. … The Blazers are 5-2 on their home court, while owning a 4-3 record on the road. … The Blazers wrapped up the 2012-13 campaign with a 20-7 overall record, reaching the 20-win mark for the 24th time under head coach Mike Durbin. … CSB also posted its 26th season with at least a top-four finish in the final MIAC standings, built largely in part to their 10-2 record at home.