WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University women’s basketball team, coming off a streak-snapping 58-49 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Carleton in Northfield, Minn., Wednesday, return home for a key conference matchup with St. Catherine Saturday. Tip off is set for 3 p.m. at the SMU Gym.
The Records:
Saint Mary’s Cardinals (4-13 MIAC / 5-15 Overall)
St. Catherine Wildcats (7-10 MIAC / 8-12 Overall)
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Last Action: The Cardinals got a game-high 22 points from
Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) as the Cardinals got off to a quick start and never took their foot off the gas in beating Carleton
58-49 in Northfield, Minn., Wednesday. St. Catherine, meanwhile, raced out to a 10-1 start against St. Thomas, but could not keep up the torrid pace, as the Tommies handed the Wildcats a
69-60 conference setback in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday.
Last Meeting — January 9, 2010: St. Catherine raced out to a 46-31 halftime advantage and never let the Cardinals get their offense on track in beating SMU
86-59 in a conference game at SCU’s Butler Center in St. Paul, Minn.
Saint Mary’s Cardinal Notes: Wednesday’s 58-49 win over Carleton snapped a couple of streaks for the Cardinals, who not only put an end to their season-high seven-game losing streak, but also snapped an 11-year winless drought at Carleton, where SMU had not won since a 77-73 win on Feb. 21, 1998. …
Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) scored a game-high 22 points in the Cardinals’ win over Carleton Wednesday. It was the sixth straight game — and 12th time this season — the Cardinal junior has led the team in scoring. … Wednesday’s 22-point showing was the second straight game — and third time this season — Miller has scored 20 or more points. Miller netted 20 vs. St. Thomas on Monday, while also scoring a career-best 29 points on Dec. 7 against Gustavus. … Miller, who extended her consecutive starts streak to 70 Wednesday, has now scored in double figures in 16 of the team’s 20 games. …
Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.), who scored a career-high 27 points in SMU’s first meeting vs. the Knights on Jan. 4, has accounted for three of the Cardinals’ five 20-point performances this season (27, 22 and 21 points). Miller (27 points) and
Cherie Kulig (Independence, Wis. / 24 points) are the other two. …
Kim Kaminski (Milwaukee, Wis.) and
Renee Pecarina (Winona, Minn.) also had career performances vs. Carleton Wednesday, as Kaminski scored a career-high 11 points, while Pecarina pulled down a career-best nine rebounds — all on the defensive end. … The Cardinals have recorded two double-doubles this season — Thone scored 13 points and added 11 rebounds vs. Bethel on Jan. 23 en route to her first collegiate double-double, while
Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) put together a 16-point, 16-rebound effort vs. Hamline on Jan. 6. … Miller enters today’s game boasting a team-best 14.5 ppg scoring average. She also ranks fifth in the MIAC in scoring, averaging 15.8 ppg in 17 conference games … Thone leads the team in 3-pointers (37), while Kulig boasts a team-high 68 assists. … The Cardinals’ 80-70 loss vs. Carleton in their first meeting on Jan. 4 was the first OT game of the season and just the second in the last three seasons for SMU. The Cardinals beat Bethel 73-69 in double overtime a year ago.
St. Catherine Wildcat Notes: With Wednesday’s loss to St. Thomas, the Wildcats enter today’s contest vs. Saint Mary’s have lost three of their last four and seven of their last nine. … Laura Kalbfell scored a game-high 20 points in the losing effort for SCU vs. St. Thomas Wednesday. It was the seventh time this season Kalbfell has scored 20 or more points. … Kalbfell also pulled down a team-leading nine rebounds, missing out on her seventh double-double of the season by one board. … Kalbfell leads the team in scoring (17.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg) and enters tonight’s game ranked No. 2 in the MIAC in scoring (16.9 ppg in 17 games). … Five of the Wildcats’ seven wins have come on their home floor, where they boast a 5-5 record. … St. Catherine closes out its season with four of its last five games on the road, beginning today against the Cardinals.