Game Summary vs. MVNU / GameDay Online

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — As if opening their season against the NCAA Division II national champions wasn't tough enough, next up for the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team was the third ranked team in the NAIA.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the result against third-ranked Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) wasn't much different from their season-opening loss to Winona State last Saturday.

The Cougars erupted for 59 first-half points and never looked back in handing the Cardinals a 99-59 setback in the opening round of the North Central Tournament Friday.

“They are every bit as good as advertised,” said SMU coach Todd Landrum, whose team fell to 0-2 on the young season. “I don't know what it is right now, we just haven't been able to string two good halves together.

“Against Winona State, we hung right with them in the first half (trailing by just 10, 39-29 at the break), and against (MVNU) we played them to a one-point game (40-39) in the second half.”

The game of basketball, however, consists of two halves — not just one.

“We need to get a little more consistent,” said Landrum, whose team was outscored 20-2 to start the second half vs. Winona State in a season-opening 92-66 loss to the Warriors, while MVNU outscored SMU 28-11 in the opening seven minutes Friday. “We're doing some good things, we just haven't been able to keep it going.”

Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) scored a team-high 21 points for the Cardinals, while Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) — who scored a team-best 22 points vs. WSU last Friday, was held to just eight against the Cougars. Travis Brown scored 18 points to lead five MVNU players in double figures, while Jadin Thomas added 16, Ben Falkenberg and Brandon Short each tallied 11, and Andy Francis finished with 10.

“Defensively, our goal was to hold their two top guns (Falkenberg — a two-time NAIA First-Team All-American) and Dan Borcherdt) in check, and we did that,” said Landrum, noting that Falkenberg tossed in 31 points in MVNU's last game, a 109-99 loss to Ashland on Tuesday. “We did a lot of good things, we just weren't able to keep up with them.

“They are an extremely talented team — one that almost certainly will be in the (NAIA) national tournament — and you have to tip your hat to them, they took it to us.”