ST. PAUL, Minn. — They say history has a way of repeating itself, and after watching Wednesday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener against Macalester, Saint Mary's University men's basketball coach Todd Landrum certainly can't argue with that.
Prior to Wednesday's showdown, the last four meetings between the Cardinals and the Scots had been decided by 12 points — combined.
And Wednesday was no different, as SMU got a season-high 27 points from
Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) and 18 from
Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) — while holding off a late Scots' comeback attempt — en route to a 70-67 conference win.
“That was a heck of a ball game,” said Landrum, whose team improved to 3-2 overall with the victory. “Macalester is a much improved team over a year ago — it was a great, physical game and we just continued to grind it out right to the end.
“We got a great offensive performance from Lukas — especially in the first half — and
Tom Gores (Rochester, Minn.) gave us some huge minutes of the bench. It was a good team effort all the way around.”
The Cardinals grabbed a one-point, 30-29, halftime advantage, thanks in large part to Holland, who scored 19 of his 27 points in the opening 20 minutes — including a perfect 5-for-5 showing from behind the 3-point line.And the see-saw tug-of-war continued over the game's final 20 minutes. The game, which was tied four times in the opening half, would be tied nine more times in the second half, the final time at 55-55 with six minutes remaining in regulation.
From there, the Cardinals appeared to take control, using a 9-1 run to build their biggest lead of the game, 64-56 with 3:07 on the clock. A 7-0 Scot run made it a one-point game, 64-63, but SMU would knock down 5 of 7 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
“Playing back-to-back games that have come down to the wire will certainly help us down the stretch,” said Landrum, whose team was coming off a heartbreaking 87-85 overtime loss to Lake Forest in which the Foresters drained the game-winner with less than a second remaining on the clock. “But then, in this conference, I expect us to be in games like this all year. “
The Cardinals are back in action on Saturday, when they play host to Bethel in a 3 p.m. contest at the SMU Gym.
