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Game Summary / GameDay Online

ST. PAUL, Minn. — On Saturday, Saint Mary's University men's basketball coach Mike Trewick experienced the lowest of lows, as his Cardinals were 3.5 seconds away from a victory that would snap their season-high 10-game losing streak — only to have Carleton score the game-winning basket at the buzzer in a 72-71 Knight victory.

Two days later, Trewick and his Cardinals experienced the highest of highs, as SMU got double-figure scoring from four different players — including a game-high 18 points from Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) — as the Cardinals put an end to their losing ways with a 77-60 MIAC win over Hamline Monday evening.

"This was a huge win for us," said Trewick, whose team had not won since an 89-75 victory over St. Olaf on Jan. 5. "We've had more than our share of chances (to put an end to their losing streak), we just were never able to get over the hump.

"Tonight, we put it all together and played very well on both ends of the floor," added Trewick, noting that one of the keys to the Cardinals' success was a 38-36 rebounding advantage. "For us to hold an edge in rebounds says a lot."

The Cardinals took advantage of the Pipers' cold hand in the opening half — Hamline made just seven first-half field goals in shooting 25 percent from the floor in the first half — to grab a 17-point, 40-23 halftime advantage.

The Pipers would cut the Cardinals' lead to eight three times in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but each time Hamline would make a run, SMU would respond, pushing their lead back to as many as 22, 71-49, before settling for the 17-point victory.

Along with Wright's game-high 18 points, SMU also got 17 points from Josh Knights (Plainfield, WIs.), while Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) added 14 and Blake Moses (Coon Rapids, Minn.) tallied 11.

"I can't say enough about this team," said Trewick. "Everyone was so down after (Saturday's) loss to Carleton — it was great to see them bounce back the way they did. This was a big, big win for us — no question about that."