Game Summary
WINONA, Minn. — Michael Rohr (Bloomingdale, Ill.) has quietly gone about his business during the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team's first eight games of the season.
The sophomore entered Monday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Gustavus averaging eight points a game.
Against the Royals, Rohr turned his game up a notch — and buried the Royals in the process.
Rohr netted a game- and season-high 20 points — hitting 9 of 10 field goals — and chipped in three rebounds and one block as the Cardinals posted their second straight victory, and equalled their win total for the entire 2004-2005 season, with their 71-68 victory at the SMU Gym.
"Michael's a good shooter, and he proved that tonight," said SMU coach Mike Trewick. "He got some good looks (including a pair of 3-pointers) and knocked them down.
"I wouldn't say this was one of our prettiest performances, but we'll take the wins any way we can get them — it doesn't matter if their one-point wins or blowouts, a win is a win," continued Trewick, whose team has now won four of its last six, after opening the season 1-2. "I was proud of the way we battled tonight — we certainly didn't make things easy on ourselves, that's for sure."
The Cardinals trailed by as many as five in the first 10 minutes of the opening half, before taking the lead for good on a basket by Mike Sweeney (St. Paul, Minn.) at the 6:34 mark. SMU would build that lead to as many as eight, 36-28, before settling for a 36-35 halftime advantage.
SMU pushed its advantage to 10 on three different occasions in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but the Cardinals could not shake the Royals, got to within one, 69-68 on a 3-pointer by Matt Fredrichs, but the Cardinals got a bucket from Brensley Haywood (Joliet, Ill.) in the final 20 seconds to ice the win.
"This is a young team, and sometimes I think we are out there playing not to lose, rather than playing to win," said Trewick. "We had our chances to put (Bethel) away, instead, we'd make a bad pass or a bad decision on a shot. We just need to relax and play — when we do that, we're a very good basketball team."
