ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn.  — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team is back on the road on Saturday, as the Cardinals head to Crown for  a 3 p.m. nonconference game against the Storm.
 
The Matchup:
No. 23/24 Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-0 Overall) at Crown Storm (0-4 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
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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 raced out to a 20-point halftime advantage, before holding off a late UW-Stout rally, as Saint Mary's handed the Blue Devils a 68-54 nonconference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym Friday | Recap
• Crown: The Storm struggled to get their offense on track Thursday, managing just 31 points—16 in the first half and 15 in the second—as Crown dropped a 71-31 nonconference decision to Augsburg in Minneapolis, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Crown—Their Last Meeting:
• November 23, 2013: The Cardinals knocked down their first eight field goals, scored the game's first 23 points and never looked back in pouring in a school-record 107 points in a 107-29 nonconference win over the Storm at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
•  Saint Mary's: The Cardinals close out a busy 10-day stretch on Tuesday, traveling to La Crosse, Wis., for a 5:30 p.m. nonconference game against UW-La Crosse.
• Crown: The Storm return to action on Monday, when they entertain St. Catherine in a 7:30 p.m. nonconference game in St. Bonifacius, Minn.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
Saturday's game against Crown is the fifth of six straight nonconference games for the Cardinals, who kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Dec. 3 at Hamline. … The Cardinals scored a school record 107 points in their first-ever meeting against Crown a year ago. Saint Mary's finished with six players scoring in double figures—and 12 of the 13 Cardinals who saw action netted at least one point. … The Cardinals broke a pair of long-standing school records with their 107-29 victory over Crown a year ago. 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. Saint Mary'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. … The Cardinals' matchup with UW-Stout Friday was their home opener. 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 26-2 at home over the past three seasons. … With their win over UW-Stout Friday, the Cardinals have won four straight. … Saint Mary's has opened with three or more wins in each of the last three seasons. The Cardinals won its first three games a year ago, while putting together a season-opening five-game winning streak during the 2012-13 season. … Molly O'Toole (Plymouth, Minn.) tossed in a career-high 21 points against UW-Stout Friday, while Shelby Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn.)—the reigning MIAC Athlete of the Week—chipped in 19. … The Cardinals have now boasted a pair of 20-point scorers this season. Along with O'Toole's 21 points Friday, Auseth poured in a season-high 24 points against UW-River Falls on Nov. 16. … The Cardinals have boasted four players scoring in double figures in two of their first four games. … Auseth has hauled in a team-best nine rebounds twice this season. … Auseth heads into Saturday's game against Crown boasting a team-leading 16.3 ppg scoring average, while also sharing the team lead in rebounds (27) with Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.). …  Pethke (11.8 ppg) and O'Toole (11.3 ppg) are also averaging in double figures through four games. … 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 22 helpers in the Cardinals' first four games this season. … Pethke's 128 assists a year ago ranked No. 3 all-time. … Saint Mary's knocked down 11 3-pointers against UW-Eau Claire Tuesday—getting at least one trey from six different players. … Schaefer leads the team with nine 3-pointers, two more than Auseth. … The Cardinals have outscored their first four opponents 145-95 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.
 
Scouting The Crown Storm:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the third of four straight nonconference contests against Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foes—and the fourth of seven matchups vs. MIAC teams. The Storm have already faced Gustavus (L, 81-31), Macalester (), and Augsburg (), and still have St. Catherine, Hamline and Carleton on their schedule. …  Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the home opener for the Storm, who opened the season with four straight road contests. … Thursday's loss to Augsburg was the Storm's 19th straight, dating back to a 67-59 win over Finlandia on Dec. 3, 2013. That win was Crown's lone victory of the season a year ago (1-22). … Desiree Davis—who scored a team- and season-high 10 points against Augsburg on Thursday—heads into Saturday's showdown vs. Saint Mary's leading the team in scoring with an 8.3 ppg scoring average. … Davis and Jessica Klaustermeie each hauled in a team-leading four rebounds against the Auggies Thursday. … The four rebounds pushed Davis' team lead to 19 boards through four games (5.3 rpg).