WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team — owners of a 13-game winning streak and a perfect 8-0 record at home this season — play host to Concordia in a battle of league leaders Saturday at the SMU Gym. Opening tip is set for 1 p.m.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (13-1 MIAC | 16-1 Overall) vs. Concordia Cobbers (12-2 MIAC | 14-3 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals rode the red-hot shooting of Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.), who tossed in a game- and career-best 32 points, as SMU cruised to a 76-52 MIAC win over St. Olaf Wednesday at the SMU Gym. … For the fourth time in the past six games Concordia overcame a halftime deficit, outscoring Bethel 58-26 over the game's final 20 minutes en route to an 84-59 MIAC win in Moorhead, Minn., Wednesday.

SMU vs. Concordia — Earlier This Year:
January 4, 2014: SMU quickly erased a four-point, halftime deficit, built its lead to as many as 12 in the second half, and held off a late Cobber rally to collect a key, 66-57 conference win in Moorhead, Minn.

SMU vs. Concordia — A Year Ago:
January 7, 2013: Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) scored 18 points — including 10 in the first half — and led four Cardinals in double figures, but it was not enough to overcome a sizzling Concordia first half, as the Cobbers handed SMU an 81-68 MIAC setback in Moorhead, Minn.
February 3, 2013: Concordia entered its MIAC showdown with SMU riding a seven-game winning streak that had them perched atop the MIAC standings — one game in front of the red-hot Cardinals, who sported a rather impressive nine-game win streak of their own. Concordia rained down six 3-pointers in the game's opening 20 minutes to build an eight-point halftime lead and the Cardinals never recovered, as the Cobbers maintained its stranglehold on the conference lead with a 64-54 victory at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are back on their home floor on Monday, as SMU plays host to Macalester in a 7:30 p.m. conference game at the SMU Gym. … Concordia remains on the road on Monday, as the Cobbers head to Minneapolis, Minn., for a 5:45 p.m. MIAC game against Augsburg at Si Melby Hall.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
The Cardinals enter Saturday's game against Concordia ranked No. 21 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25, while also owning a No. 21 ranking in the USA TODAY Sports Division III Coaches Poll. … SMU pushed its winning streak to 13 straight with last Wednesday's win over St. Olaf — the longest win streak since the Cardinals opened the 1985-86 season 19-0. That 1985-86 squad went on to win Saint Mary's last MIAC regular-season women's basketball title and qualify for the NCAA national tournament, finishing the season 24-3 overall. … The Cardinals' 66-57 win over Concordia in their first meeting 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. … With their 76-52 win over St. Olaf last Wednesday, the Cardinals improved to 8-0 on their home court this season. SMU is 19-1 at home over the past two seasons — the lone loss a 64-54 setback vs. Concordia on Feb. 3, 2013. … Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) poured in a game-, season- and career-high 32 points against the Oles last Wednesday. … Pethke's 32-point performance — 17 points better than her previous career-high of 15 set against Saint Benedict on Jan. 25 — was SMU's highest single-game performance since before the 1999-2000 season, and was just 10 points shy of the school record 42 points, set by Mary Schultz against St. Olaf during the 1985-86 season, and equaled by Tricia Rasmussen against UW-Oshkosh in 1992-93. … Pethke hit 8 of 10 field goals — including a 5-for-6 showing from the 3-point line — while also added an 11-for-13 effort from the free throw line en route to her 32 points. … Pethke's 32 points against St. Olaf mark the fourth time this season SMU has had a player score 20 or more points in a game. Shelby Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn.) netted 28 points against North Central (Ill.) on Dec. 28, while Courtney Euerle (Litchfield, Minn.) enjoyed back-to-back career-high 20-point nights against Gustavus (Jan. 18) and Augsburg (Jan. 20). … Euerle finished with 10 points against St. Olaf Wednesday and has now scored in double figures in four straight games, 12 times this season and 40 times in her collegiate career. … Euerle also pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds vs. St. Olaf to record her second double-double of the season and sixth of her career. … The Cardinals have had five or more players score in double figures in the same game four times this season — including six double-figure scorers in its 107-29 win over Crown on Nov. 23. … SMU enters Saturday's game against Concordia boasting three players averaging in double figures — Euerle (12.2 ppg), Auseth (12.0 ppg) and Pethke (11.1 ppg). … Euerle also leads the team with 131 rebounds (7.7 rpg). … Pethke, who leads the team with 83 assists, equaled her career-best with seven assists vs. Bethel on Jan. 22. It was the third time this season and seventh time in her collegiate career that Pethke has hit the seven-assist mark. … For the second time this season — and third straight time against St. Olaf — SMU netted a season-high nine 3-pointers vs. the Oles last Wednesday. … SMU owns 104 3-pointers this season, led by Darcey Rice (Eagan, Minn.) with 31. … SMU — which has scored 80 or more points four times this season — heads into Saturday's showdown with Concordia averaging 73.5 ppg, while limiting its opponents to just 57.6 ppg. … The Cardinals' 85-73 win over CSB on Jan. 25 was SMU's sixth straight victory over the Blazers. … 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 Concordia Cobbers:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
With their 84-59 win over Bethel Wednesday, the Cobbers pushed their winning streak to a season-high eight straight. Concordia's last loss was a 66-57 setback to Saint Mary's in the teams' first meeting on Jan. 4. … The eight-game win streak matches last year's eight-game streak and is the longest since the 2004-05 season, when the Cobbers won 15 straight. … Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of back-to-back road games for the Cobbers, who are 7-2 on the road this season. … Wednesday's win over Bethel marked the fourth time in the last six games that CC has won after trailing at halftime. … Concordia outscored Bethel 58-26 in the second half Wednesday. Concordia's 58 second-half points were a season high and the most since the 2008-09 season, when the Cobbers scored 59 in the second period of a 101-78 victory over St. Catherine. … Greta Walsh scored a team-high 16 points against Bethel on Wednesday, marking the fourth straight game CC has had a different leading scorer. … Alley Fisher and Alexandra Lippert head into Saturday's matchup at Saint Mary's averaging in double figures at 11.5 ppg and 11.1 ppg, respectively. … Lippert has pulled down a team-best 102 rebounds (6.0 rpg), while Walsh is the team-leader in assists (38)and steals (30). … The Cobbers have made 84 3-pointers this season, led by Fisher with 32 and Walsh with 17. … Concordia, which is averaging 73.4 ppg, has scored 80 or more points four times this season — including a season-best 90-point effort against Hamline on Dec. 14.