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Major Match-up: The Blazers face maybe their toughest test all season this afternoon, hosting No. 3 ranked St. Thomas at 3 p.m., Jan. 12 in Claire Lynch Hall. The Blazers enter at 8-4 on the season, with a 6-3 record in the MIAC, losing only to teams currently in the top-four of the league standings. The Tommies, meanwhile, bring a perfect 9-0 MIAC record into the game, and have lost just once all season at 11-1 overall.

About St. Thomas: The Tommies are ranked No. 3 in the country, with their only loss in the season opener to the current No. 2 team in the country. They picked up this season right where they left off last spring, finishing 2011-12 ranked third in the country.  The have been running through the MIAC this season, most recently dismantling Gustavus 65-43, when the Gusties entered the game unbeaten in league play. They have won every league game by double-digits, ranking second in the MIAC in both scoring offense (67.3) and scoring defense (52.4).

Last Season: The Tommies swept the season series last season, including the Blazers most lopsided loss of the of year in a 69-40 UST win in St. Paul. Playing their first game in three weeks following the break, the Blazers were down 17-1 after the first seven minutes and never recovered. Later in the season, the Tommies completed the sweep in St. Joseph with a 73-52 win. A tie game five minutes in tilted away from the Blazers after a 13-0 Tommie run, and CSB would trail the rest of the way.

The Storyline: Can the Blazers slow the Tommie juggernaut, and end their three-game losing streak to their rivals from St. Paul? St. Thomas has scored 70+ points in three of its last four games, and won all but one game by double-digits. If the Blazers have to counter with offense they may be in good shape, though, averaging just one point less per game than the Tommies.

Who To Watch: Brianna Barrett has led the Blazers in scoring in each of the last eight games, including 19 points on Wednesday against Concordia. She is averaging a career high 14.4 points per game, and currently ranks fourth in the MIAC. Quietly the teams second-leading scorer (7.8 ppg), Tish Alexander is also second in the MIAC in steals with 3.2 per game. Shes all notched at least three steals in all but fout games this season, including seven against Augsburg, just two off the school record of nine. Also among the team leaders, Whitney Canton has shown the ability to score, hitting double figures three times, but her aggressive and exciting style of play has gotten her to the free throw line a team-leading 51 times, where her 40 makes rank her third in the MIAC.
Last Time Out: The Blazers made the long trip to Concordia-Moorhead on Wednesday night and put themselves in a big hole early. Despite a 13-point deficit at the half, the Blazers nearly had it erased after a 21-to-4 run in the second half. However, after getting within four points, the Blazers were unable to get over the hump and take the lead, eventually falling 81-68.