Game Summary

WINONA, Minn. — This time around, it was the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team doing the running — running right past St. Olaf and right into the win column.

Just two days after suffering through a 23-0 Carleton first-half run that all but sealed the Cardinals 13th loss of the season, Wednesday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game saw the Cardinals ride a 17-1 run midway through the second half that carried SMU to a 64-54 victory at the SMU Gym.

"It feels good," SMU coach Mike Trewick said of the win, SMU's third of the season. "Every win in this conference is important — and hopefully this win will lead to two wins, then three wins, then four wins (in a row). We need to get on a roll, and hopefully this was the game to send us on our way."

The Cardinals struggled offensively in the first half, making just 7 of 27 field goal attempts (25 percent). But an 8-for-11 effort from the free-throw line — and an 0-5 showing from the line by the Oles – kept SMU within one, 26-25, at the half.

"It wasn't a great first half, but we hung in there," said Trewick. "What disappointed me most was the way we came out in the second half and turned the ball over three straight times. Right now we just haven't quite figured out how to play with a lead — we need to relax more and just play the game."

The Oles opened a four-point, 42-38, lead with 11:25 remaining in regulation, only to have the Cardinals to do them what Carleton did to SMU on Monday — as the Cardinals scored 17 of the next 18 points, including a stretch of 12 consecutive points, to turn that four-point deficit into a 13-point, 56-43 cushion.

St. Olaf made one last charge, cutting the lead to seven, 57-50, only to have SMU knock down 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute to ice the win.

Jeff Tendall (LeClaire, Iowa) scored a game-high 14 points for SMU (2-8 MIAC, 3-13 overall), while Brensley Haywood (Joliet, Ill.) added 11 and Dan Cormier (Blaine, Minn.) and Eric Lear (Antioch, Ill.) each chipped in 10.

"Jeff did a great job for us — he's our leader and he proved that again tonight," said Trewick. "This was a nice win for the guys, but when you are playing games virtually every other night, you don't have long to savor it."