vs.
Saint Mary's Cardinals   1-0 MIAC / 2-3 Overall		Bethel Royals   0-1 MIAC / 4-1 Overall

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Last Action: The Cardinals kicked off their conference season o a winning note Wednesday, as SMU took the lead for good in the game's final 25 seconds and held off Macalester 67-65 at the SMU Gym. … Bethel, meanwhile, came out on the short end of an 81-73 decision against Saint John's in the Royals' MIAC opener.

A Year Ago: Bethel feasted on the Cardinals' defense a year ago, averaging 88 ppg in sweeping the teams' two conference games. The Cardinals scored 79 points — their third-highest offensive output of the season — and got a career-best 26 points from Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.), but the Royals shot 82 percent from the field in the first half (23-for-28) and rolled to a 98-79 win on Jan. 19. After erupting for 63 points in the first half of their first meeting, Bethel didn't reach 63 points until Tyler Brown scored off an offensive rebound with 6:58 remaining in regulation. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, SMU didn't reach the 63-point plateau at all, managing just 61 points in falling to the Royals 78-61 on Feb. 16.

All-Time Series Record: With their two conference wins a year ago, Bethel improved to 37-15 all-time against SMU.


Probable Starters:

Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-0 MIAC / 2-3)	Pos.
#3 Lukas Holland (So., 18.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg)	G
#34 Will Wright (So., 23.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg)	G
#12 Brad Knights (Jr., 5.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg)	F
#33 Josh Knights (Jr., 6.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg)	F
#25 Patrick Connelly (So., 3.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg)	F
Bethel Royals (0-1 MIAC / 4-1)	Pos
#3 Cory Laugen (Sr., 10.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg)	G
#5 Rob Lang (Jr., 5.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg)	G
#20 Tim Madson (Sr., 17.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg)	G
#41 Nate Robertson (Jr., 9.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg)	F
#44 Mike Moberg (Sr., 15.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg)	F

Cardinal Notes: The Cardinals picked up their first conference-opening win in their last three tries with their win over Macalester Wednesday. … SMU's two-point victory over the Scots also snapped a 12-game home losing streak. SMU, which went 0-10 at home a year ago, last won a home game on Jan. 27, 2007, when the Cardinals dropped Hamline 84-70. … Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) tossed in a game-high 24 points against Macalester Wednesday. It was the third straight game, fourth time this season, and 14th time in his career in which the SMU sophomore has scored 20 or more points. … Wright, who scored a game-high 41 points vs. MacMurray (Ill.) on Nov. 22 — and has scored 10 or more points in 25 of the Cardinals' last 30 games — enters today's game averaging a team-best 23.6 ppg. … Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) scored 20 points vs. the Scots — one shy of his season high 21-point effort vs. Mount Vernon Nazarene on Nov. 21 — and has now scored in double figures in each of SMU's five games this season. The 20 points also extended Holland's streak of double-figure scoring two 14 straight, having scored 10 or more points in SMU's last nine games a year ago. … Holland and Wright have led the team in scoring in the team's last 22 straight games. … SMU entered Wednesday's game vs. Macalester shooting 80 percent from the free throw line (72-for-90), but were held to a team-low 54 percent (13-for-24) against the Scots. On the flip side, SMU sent Macalester to the line just five times. The Scots did not attempt a free throw in the first half. … SMU also struggled from beyond the 3-point line vs. Macalester, hitting a season-low 2 of 13 3-pointers.

Royal Notes: Wednesday's conference-opening loss to Saint John's snapped the Royals' season-opening four-game winning streak. … The Johnnies' 81 points were the most allowed by Bethel this season, while the Royals' 73 points were their lowest offensive output since netting 70 in a season-opening 70-55 win over Martin Luther. … Tim Madson and Nathan Robertson each scored 17 points to lead a trio of Royals in double figures vs. the Johnnies. Madson has now scored in double figures in each of the Royals' five games and has been the team's scoring leader four times. … Madson boasts a team-leading 17.2 ppg average and is one of three Royals averaging 10 or more points per game — Mike Moberg (15.0 ppg) and Cory Laugen (10.6 ppg) are the other two. … As a team, the Royals are averaging 78.0 ppg — thanks in part to a season-high 96-point effort in a 96-72 win over Mount Marty on Nov. 21 — and have drained 32 3-pointers. … Bethel has scored 195 points in each half this season. … The Royals were held to a season-low 29 first-half points vs. SJU. The 41-29 halftime deficit also marked the first time this season that Bethel has trailed at the half.