Game Summary

WINONA, Minn. — Officially, Mark Lovelace picked up his first collegiate coaching victory on Dec. 18, 2003, when the Cardinals dispatched of Cal-Tech 87-37.

The win, however, wasn't all that satisfying to the first-year Saint Mary's University men's basketball head coach.

After all, winless Cal-Tech wasn't exactly a conference contender — or even an MIAC also-ran, for that matter.

In other words, in Lovelace's mind, that first "real" win was still out there waiting to be had.

Wednesday evening, Lovelace's wait finally came to an end.

Fueled by a nine-point Jeff Tendall (Le Claire, Iowa) outburst that gave SMU the lead for good midway through the second half, the Cardinals notched their first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win of the year, knocking off league-leading Macalester 66-57.

"This one feels great," Lovelace said after the game. "The guys gave it everything they had — they played with so much heart. It's great that they finally got rewarded for their efforts."

After battling the Scots to a 28-28 halftime tie, the two teams exchanged baskets early in the second half, before Tendall took over. The junior knocked down a pair of 3-point baskets, then sank three free throws to give SMU a 50-45 advantage with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation.

The Cardinals would push the lead to eight twice, including 59-51 with five minutes left — only to have the Scots come roaring back, using a 6-0 run to cut the lead to two, 59-57 with 2:40 on the clock. Unfazed by the Scots' late run, the Cardinals scored the game's final seven points — forcing a pair of Macalester turnovers in the process — en route to the victory.

Tendall finished with a game-high 18 points for SMU, which snapped a three-game losing streak in moving to 1-6 in the MIAC and 2-9 overall. Terrence Smith (Broadview, Ill.) added 11 points for the Cardinals, while Chris Assel's 18 points led three Macalester (4-2, 5-6) players in double figures.