Game Summary

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Saint Mary's University men's basketball coach Mark Lovelace is hoping its an omen.

A very good omen.

After managing just one win through the first half of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schedule, the Cardinals opened the second half of the conference schedule in impressive fashion, riding the red-hot shooting of Jeff Tendall (LeClaire, Iowa) to a 60-57 win over Hamline Wednesday evening.

The Cardinals, who lost to the Pipers 58-55 in their first meeting this season, were unstoppable in the first half, scoring the game's first six points and never looking back. SMU shot 56 percent from the field (14-for-25) en route to a commanding 39-27 halftime advantage.

Things cooled off a bit for the Cardinals in the second half, as SMU managed to make just nine of its 23 attempts from the field. The Cardinals pushed their 12-point halftime lead to a game-high 15 points, 46-31 on a basket by Tendall with 17:51 remaining in regulation. Hamline, however, battled back, completing a 23-11 run with a 3-pointer from Josh Hanson to pull within three, 57-54, with 3:39 remaining.

A free throw by Will Floyd (Goldsboro, N.C.) and a basket by Jimmy Wajda (Minneapolis, Minn.) pushed the lead back to six, 60-54. Hamline's Travis Jacobs drilled a three with 1:04 left to cut the margin back to three, and Hanson's desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer came up empty as SMU snapped its four-game losing streak.

Tendall finished with a game-high 18 points for the Cardinals, leading four SMU players in double figures. Ryan Bormann (Preston, Iowa) chipped in 11 points, while Wajda and Terrence Smith (Broadview, Ill.) each added 10 for the Cardinals (2-9 MIAC, 3-13 overall).