Game Summary

WINONA, Minn. — After every game, no matter what the outcome, Saint Mary's University men's basketball coach Mark Lovelace has been able to find a silver lining.

Whether it was a solid individual effort, or the fact that the Cardinals worked hard the entire way, every game — win or lose — had its share of positives.

Until Monday.

The Cardinals could not seem to do anything right against the Cobbers, and it showed, as Concordia scored the game's first seven points and never looked back en route to an 87-66 rout at the SMU Gym.

SMU shot just 37 percent from the field in the first half, making 9 of 24 field-goal attempts — including just 1 of 6 from beyond the 3-point line. Concordia, meanwhile, managed to make just one more field goal than the Cardinals, but the Cobbers also connected on 15 of 18 free throws in building leads as big as 12 — including a 38-26 cushion at halftime.

The second half saw more of the same — few made field goals for SMU, and plenty of made free throws for Concordia.

The Cardinals hit 15 of 30 second-half field goals, but the Cobbers responded with a 16-for-24 effort from the field — not to mention a 16-for-19 showing from the free-throw line. For the game, Concordia was 31 of 37 from the free throw line, while SMU went to the line just 21 times, making 13.

Dan Kloak (Elmwood Park, Ill.) scored a team-high 13 points for the Cardinals (4-13 MIAC, 5-17 overall), who have now dropped four straight. Jeff Tendall (LeClaire, Iowa) chipped in 10 points for SMU, while Soren Nelson led four Concordia players in double figures with a game-high 20 points.