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2004-05 Record: 0-0 MIAC / 2-0 Overall
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| Last Week's Results: Colorado College Tournament Saint Mary's 84, Cal Lutheran 65 / Details Saint Mary's 72, Colo. College 54 / Details |
| Upcoming Games: Wed., Dec. 1: SMU at St. Kate's, 7:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 4: SMU at Augsburg, 1 p.m. |
| This and That: Jamie Rattunde (Rollingstone, Minn.) opened the season with back-to-back double-doubles - scoring 11 points and adding 10 assists in SMU's win vs. Cal Lutheran, then following that up with 25 points and 11 rebounds vs. Colorado College. … Rattunde's performance earned her tournament MVP honors. … Ashley Luehmann (Lewiston, Minn.) was also named to the all-tournament team at the Colorado College tournament, after averaging 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. … Angie Arrington (Spring Grove, Minn.) scored a team-high 24 points in SMU's season-opening win vs. Cal Lutheran. … The Cardinals have opened the season with two straight wins for the first time since the 1985-86 season, when SMU started the year with 18 straight wins en route to a third-place finish in the NCAA Division III regional tournament. |
back-to-back wins en route to Colo. College tourney title
WINONA, Minn. - The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team was good in its season-opening 84-65 victory over Cal Lutheran in the opening round of the Colorado College Tournament.
The Cardinals were even better the following night, as SMU completed its 2-0 run in the four-team tournament field, routing host Colorado College 72-54 last Saturday evening.
As impressive as SMU was in opening its season 2-0, it was the play of senior Jamie Rattunde (Rollingstone, Minn.) that turned the most heads over the weekend.
Rattunde, a two-time All-MIAC selection, picked up a pair of double-doubles over the weekend - opening with an 11-point, 10 assist effort vs. Cal Lutheran, then following that up with a 25-point, 11-rebound effort in SMU's title-clinching win over Colorado College to earn tournament MVP honors.
"It was a good weekend for us," said SMU coach Dan Messmann. "We were a little up-and-down, but it did show just how good we can be."
The Cardinals struggled offensively against Colorado College in the first half, shooting just 26 percent from the field - including 2 of 15 from beyond the 3-point line - as SMU held a slim, two-point 28-26 advantage at the half.
It was more of the same from long distance in the second half as SMU made just two of 12 3s, but a 16-for-26 effort inside the arc helped the Cardinals to a 48-point second half and their second straight lopsided win.
"We started a bit slow in both games, but it really didn't take us long to get our offense going - when we executed, we were unstoppable," said Messmann, adding that the high altitude was a factor in SMU's performance, especially against Colorado College. "We needed to go to our bench a lot more than I thought we would, which was OK - I have a lot of confidence in our bench, and they did a great job all weekend.
"To get two wins and win a tournament like that, it's a nice way to start the season."
More important than the prestigue of being Colorado College Tournament champions - or the championship trophy that went along with it - was that SMU heads into Wednesday's conference opener at St. Catherine with a full head of steam.
And two wins.
"It's a big confidence booster," said Messmann of the season-opening two-game winning streak. "We don't have a very long 'preseason,' and to head into that first conference game with two wins under our belts is great."