Game Summary vs. MacMurray / GameDay Online

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — No defending NCAA Division II national champion.

No third-ranked NAIA Division II powerhouse.

No problem.

The Saint Mary's University men's basketball coach, coming off a week at the School of Hard Knocks — instructed by Winona State and Mount Vernon Nazarene — showed Saturday that they are quick studies, as the Cardinals collected their first win of the season, rolling past MacMurray (Ill.) 84-70 in the consolation game of the North Central Tournament.

“I'm happy for the guys,” said SMU first-year head coach Todd Landrum. “They've been working their tails off and they deserved a win like this.

“To open your season against Winona State and Mount Vernon — probably two of the top Division II programs in the country — that's tough. But today, we went up against a team much similar to ourselves and we showed what we can do.”

Leading the Cardinals' charge was Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.), who wowed his hometown crowd with a career-high 41 points, while also equaling his career-best with 10 rebounds, giving the SMU sophomore his second double-double in SMU's first three games.

Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.), who poured in a season-best 21 points in SMU's 99-59 loss to third-ranked Mount Vernon Nazarene Friday, chipped in 11 points for the Cardinals, while Brad Knights (Plainfield, Wis.) came within one point of his first career double-double, settling for nine points and 10 boards.

After scoring just 20 points in the opening half against the Cougars on Friday, SMU came out firing against MacMurray, outscoring the Highlanders 42-25 in the game's opening 20 minutes.

And from there, SMU just put things on cruise control in picking up their first win under Landrum.

“The guys played well,” said Landrum, whose team returns to action Saturday, traveling to La Crosse, Wis., for a nonconference game against UW-La Crosse. “It's a great win for the kids — I'm happy for them.”