vs.
70		72

Game Summary / GameDay Online

ST. PAUL, Minn. — After opening the season with a 118-53 loss at NCAA Division II power Winona State, things have steadily improved for the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team.

With each game, Cardinals coach Mike Trewick saw the improvement he was looking for.

What he didn't see, however, was the victories that he was hoping would accompany the improvement.

Five games, five straight losses.

And with 1.6 second remaining Monday, SMU appeared to be on the verge of finally getting over the hump, only to have Macalester's Abe Woldeslassie burst the Cardinals' bubble, as his left-handed layup beat the buzzer — and the Cardinals, as the Scots posted a 72-70 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win.

"It's the same story as Saturday (when SMU came up short in the end of an 80-77 loss to Saint John's," said Trewick, whose team dropped to 0-6 overall with the loss. "We played very well, we just can't seem to finish what we start.

"We put ourselves in position to win, but then we shot ourselves in the foot, turning the ball over four times in the last five minutes," Trewick added. "The improvement is there — the effort is there — it's just the wins aren't coming our way right now."

Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) tossed in a team-high 21 points — marking the fourth time in SMU's six games that the Cardinal freshman has netted 20 or more points — while Dan Cormier (Blaine, Minn.) posted the team's first double-double of the season, tossing in 15 points and adding 13 boards. Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) also scored in double figures for SMU, finishing with 12 points, while Tom Conboy led the Scots with a game-high 29 points.

"These last two games are a little tough to swallow, because we definitely played well  enough to win both of them," said Trewick, whose team held a 40-36 halftime lead against the Scots, shooting 58 percent from the field (15-for-26). "We just have to keep trying to improve every day. I can't fault the effort — we're playing hard, we're just not catching the breaks down the stretch.

"Hopefully that will change."