Game Summary vs. SCSU
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team, which had not played in 20 days — since a 102-68 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference loss at St. Thomas — returned to action Tuesday against St. Cloud State in the Cardinals' final nonconference game of the season.
And, as if having to stew for 20 days over giving up 100 points to the Tommies, the Cardinals had to return to action to face a red-hot St. Cloud State team that not only had won its last five straight, but had also scored 90 or more points in three of its last four games — including 99 in a 99-97 overtime win against defending NCAA Division II national champion Winona State.
The same Winona State team that beat SMU 92-66 in the Cardinals' season-opener.
Talk about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
And the Huskies, fueled by four players in double figures and a 48-point first half, made sure the Cardinals got burned, as SCSU rolled to an 82-58 nonconference victory.
Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) scored a team-high 15 points for the Cardinals, who shot 40 percent from the field in the first half, but made just 2 of 13 attempts from behind the 3-point line. St. Cloud State, meanwhile, was led by Matt Schneck's game-high 17 points, while Jesse Fisher chipped in 13 points, including a court-length heave that hit nothing but net to put the Huskies up by 24 heading into halftime. Josh Ortmann and Brett Putz each tallied 10 points for SCSU, which got scoring from 11 different players in winning its sixth straight and running its record to 9-2 overall.
A dunk by Schneck — his second of the game — at the 9:41 mark of the first half put SCSU up 11, 25-14, and the Huskies' lead would stay in double digits for the remainder of the game. The dunk was part of an 18-2 Huskie run over 6:36 that stretched their lead from four points to 20 points.
The Cardinals, who fall to 2-7 overall, return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Saturday, traveling to Collegeville, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference showdown against Saint John's.
