Game Summary vs. Hamline / GameDay Online / Photo Gallery

WINONA, Minn. — For the second game in a row, the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team headed into the locker room at halftime Wednesday in the middle of a dogfight.

Just two days after the Cardinals found themselves staring at a four-point, 30-26, halftime deficit — only to have Carleton score the first 10 points of the second half en route to a 70-62 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory — SMU went into the break trailing Hamline by two, 34-32.

Fortunately for coach Todd Landrum, the Cardinals had learned from their Monday mistakes, as SMU used a quick-strike attack to open the second half — and then held on for dear life to beat Hamline 80-72 in a conference game at the SMU Gym.

Staring at a two-point deficit to open the second half, SMU scored eight of the first 10 points to open a 49-40 advantage, but the Pipers found their scoring touch, using a 14-4 run to regain the lead, 54-53, with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation.

From there, it was a nail-biting, see-saw affair to the end — with Bradley Bruno (Chicago, Ill.) proving to be the Cardinals' clutch performer time and time again.

SMU led 55-54 and led 57-56, before Bruno nailed the first of several clutch baskets to give SMU a little breathing room, 59-56. Another Bruno jumper made it a 61-58 Cardinal advantage, and the SMU freshman got free underneath for two more to give the Cardinals another four-point edge, 66-62 with five minutes remaining.

Hamline would again cut the lead to two, 66-64, but the Cardinals responded with six straight points and never led the Pipers closer than six the rest of the way in snapping a season-high six-game losing streak.

Bruno had a career night in leading the Cardinals, noting only tossing down a career-best 22 points, but also pulling down 10 rebounds in posting his first-ever collegiate double-double. Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) chipped in 21 points for SMU, which had two players score in double figures for the first this season.

The Cardinals, whose 80-point performance was their highest since netting 84 in an 84-70 victory over MacMurray on Nov. 22, are now off until next Wednesday, when they play host to Concordia in a 7:30 p.m. MIAC contest at the SMU Gym.