Box Score  | GameDay Preview

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team entered Saturday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Saint Benedict riding a pair of rather impressive streaks:

• The Cardinals boasted a 11-game winning streak — the second-longest in program history.

• SMU was also the owner of five consecutive victories over the Blazers.

And thanks to a balanced offensive attack that saw five SMU players score in double figures — led by Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) with 18 — both of those streaks just got more impressive.

The Cardinals broke away from a five-point halftime advantage by outscoring the Blazers 48-41 over the final 20 minutes, as SMU won its 12th straight — and sixth in a row over CSB — with an 85-73 conference victory Claire Lynch Hall.

With the win, SMU improved to 12-1 in conference play and maintained its position atop the conference standings, one game in front of Concordia and St. Thomas, who also both won on Saturday.

The Cardinals' 12-game winning streak is their longest since the 1985-86 season, when SMU opened the year with 19 straight wins en route to the program's last regular-season MIAC title and an NCAA national tournament berth.

Leading by just one, 10-9, SMU used a 10-2 burst to push its lead to 20-11. Saint Benedict responded with a 14-4 run of its own to regain the lead, 25-24, with five minutes remaining in the opening half. Over those final five minutes, the Cardinals would outscore CSB 13-7 in taking a five-point, 37-32 lead into the locker room at the half.

The Blazers clawed their way to within two, 39-37, early in the second half, but another SMU burst — this one a 9-2 run — put the Cardinals out front 48-39, and they never looked back, building their lead to as many as 15, 72-57, before settling for the 12-point victory.

Euerle went 9-for-14 from the field en route to her team-high 18 points, while Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) chipped in a career-best 15 points and six assists. Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.), Shelby Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn.) and Octavia Brown (Broadview, Ill.) also reached double figures, scoring 14, 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Mattie Lueck tossed in a game-high 21 points to lead three Blazers in double figures, with Brianna Barrett and Annie Dittberner adding 15 and 13 points, respectively.

The Cardinals (12-1 MIAC, 15-1 overall) put their 12-game winning streak on the line again on Wednesday, as SMU hosts St. Olaf in a 7:30 p.m. conference game at the SMU Gym.