EAU CLAIRE, Wis.  — Coming off a pair of wins to kick off the season last weekend, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team is back on the road on Tuesday, as the Cardinals head to UW-Eau Claire for an 8 p.m. nonconference game against the Blugolds
 
The Matchup:
No. 23/24 Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-0 Overall) at UW-Eau Claire Blugolds (2-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats * Live Video
 
National Rankings:
• The Cardinal open the 2014-15 campaign ranked in a pair of national preseason polls. The Cardinals are ranked No. 23 in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25, while coming in at No. 24 in the USA Today Sports Coaches Preseason Poll | D3hoops.com | USA Today
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals kicked off their season with a pair of nonconference wins last weekend at the Saint Benedict Quinlivan & Hughes Tip-Off Tournament in St. Joseph, Minn. Saint Mary's opened with a 72-62 win over UW-River Falls last Saturday, and followed that up by holding off UM-Morris 68-65 on Sunday | UW-RF Recap * UM-Morris Recap
• UW-Eau Claire: The Blugolds breezed through the UW-Eau Claire Tip-Off Classic last weekend at Zorn Arena in Eau Claire, Wis., opening with a 61-54 win over Coe Saturday, before racing past Hamline 78-50 on Sunday | Coe Recap * Hamline Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-Eau Claire—Their Last Meeting:
• Tuesday's matchup is the first meeting in progam history between the Cardinals and the Blugolds
 
Up Next:
•  Saint Mary's: The Cardinals kick off the home portion of their schedule on Friday, hosting UW-Stout in a 7 p.m. nonconference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• UW-Eau Claire: The Blugolds are back on their home court on Saturday, when they entertain NCAA Division II Winona State in a 3 p.m. nonconference game.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
Tuesday's game at UW-Eau Claire is the third of six straight nonconference games for the Cardinals, who kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Dec. 3 at Hamline. … The Cardinals' wins over UW-River Falls and UM-Morris last weekend mark the third straight year Saint Mary's has opened the season with at least two straight wins. Saint Mary's won its first three games a year ago, while putting together a season-opening five-game winning streak during the 2012-13 season. … The Cardinals boasted four players who scored in double figures vs. UW-River Falls last Saturday—led by Shelby Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn.) with 18. Emma Schaefer (Falcon Heights, Minn. / 13), Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis. / 10) and Molly O'Toole (Plymouth, Minn. / 10) were the others. … Auseth and Pethke followed up their season-opening performances by netting 24 and 19 points, respectively, in the Cardinals' 68-65 win over UM-Morris the following day. … Auseth and Pethke were named to the Saint Benedict all-tournament team, with Pethke garnering tournament MVP honors. … Auseth—who was named MIAC Athlete of the week for her two-game effort last weekend—missed her first double-double of the season vs. the Cougars Sunday by one rebound, adding nine boards to her game-high 24 points. … Auseth heads into Tuesday's game against UW-Eau Claire boasting a team-leading 21.0 ppg scoring average, while Pethke is also averaging in double figures at 14.5 ppg. … Pethke, who finished with a single-season career-high 128 assists last season—including a career-best eight in Saint Mary's regular-season finale against Augsburg—has dished out 12 helpers in the Cardinals' first two games this season. … Pethke's 128 assists a year ago ranked No. 3 all-time. … Saint Mary's shot 37 percent from behind the 3-point line last weekend, draining 17 of 46 treys—led by Auseth with six, Schaefer with four and Pethke with three. … The Cardinals outscored their first two opponents 81-53 in the game's opening 20 minutes. … The Cardinals made their first NCAA national tournament appearance since the 1985-86 season a year ago, falling to UW-Oshkosh 71-61 in the regional semifinal. … Saint Mary's closed out the season 14-1 on its home court last season, the lone setback a 71-58 decision to St. Thomas in the MIAC Tournament title game. The Cardinals are now 25-2 at home over the past two seasons.
 
Scouting The UW-Eau Claire Blugolds:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
Tuesday's game against Saint Mary's is the third of five straight home games for the Blugolds, who do not play away from Zorn Arena until Nov. 29, when they head to Naperville, Ill, for a nonconference game against North Central (Ill.). … Teenie Lichtfuss and Courtney Lewis led the way for the Blugolds over the weekend and enter Tuesday's showdown against Saint Mary's averaging in double figures—Lichtfuss at 15.5 ppg and Lewis at 14.0 ppg. … Lewis knocked down a season-high 18 points in the Blugolds' win over Coe last Saturday, and Lichtfuss equaled that mark a day later against Hamline. … Lewis also owns the team lead in rebounds (12) and assists (14). … UW-Eau Claire knocked down 17 3-pointers in its two tournament games last weekend, led by Lichtfuss with six and Jenni Lacroix with four.