Game Summary

WINONA, Minn. — Nothing has come easy for the Saint Mary's University basketball team this season, and Monday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Macalester was no different.

Well, it was a little different — it had a much happier ending.

Dan Cormier (Blaine, Minn.) netted a season-high 20 points and the Cardinals scored the game's final six points en route to an 81-73 victory over the Scots at the SMU Gym.

"It took a little longer than we would have liked, but it's nice to get that first one under our belts — finally," SMU coach Mike Trewick said of his team's first win, which came after opening the season with losses to Winona State, UW-Eau Claire, St. Thomas and Saint John's. "We played a tough nonconference schedule for a reason, and hopefully, it's starting to pay off.

"We drew a tough start to the conference season in road games against St. Thomas and Saint John's, but now we've got those out of the way, and that should be a plus for us down the stretch," added Trewick. "The way we look at it, we're 1-2 in the MIAC right now, and if we can get a win on Wednesday (at Hamline), we head into the Christmas break 2-2 — and there's nothing wrong with that."

Were it not for some clutch performances down the stretch, however, the Cardinals may have been heading to Hamline still searching for that first win.

SMU led by as many as 14 in the second half, and held a 13-point, 56-43 advantage with just over seven minutes to play. Over the next four minutes, however, the Scots went to work, whittling that lead down to one, 67-66. Three SMU free throws and a Cormier layup pushed the SMU advantage back to six, 72-66, and after letting Macalester close to within two, 75-73, the Cardinals iced the win with a basket by Cormier, two free throws from John Gencius (Chicago, Ill.) and a layup by Brensley Haywood (Joliet, Ill.).

"We made it a little closer than I would have liked, but this is a young team that is still learning how to win," said Trewick, who, along with Cormier's 20 points, got a second-straight 19-point effort from Haywood and a 13-point effort from Josh Knights (Plainfield, Wis.). "Overall, I was very pleased with our performance — and it's nice to be rewarded for the effort."