MOORHEAD, Minn. — The last two seasons, the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team has boasted one of the most lethal one-two punches in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Conference in sharp-shooters
Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) and
Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.).
This year, coach Todd Landrum has added a few other combinations to the Cardinals' arsenal — including a devastating uppercut in the form of freshman
Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.)
Coming off back-to-back double-doubles against St. Thomas and St. Olaf earlier this week, Palmer was at it again Saturday, knocking down a career-high 26 points, while also added nine boards, in leading the Cardinals to a 71-55 conference win over Concordia.
Palmer, whose previous best was a 21-point effort Wednesday against St. Olaf, drained 5 of 7 3-point attempts in going 9-for-13 from the field, while also pulling down those nine rebounds — all on the defensive end. Holland and Wright did their part, chipping in 21 and 13 points, respectively.
John Fraase scored 12 points and was the only Cobber in double figures, as SMU's defense shut down Concordia's offense to the tune of 37 percent from the field (18-for-49).
Palmer got things going early for the Cardinals, draining the first of his five 3-pointers in the game's opening minute, and SMU — which never trailed — led by as many as eight points, before settling for a three-point, 37-34, halftime advantage.
The Cardinals weren't about to let the Cobbers hang around in the second half, using a 21-14 half-opening run to take a 10-point, 58-48 advantage with 9:48 remaining. And SMU was just getting warmed up, pushing that lead to as many as 21, 71-51, en route to their third conference win of the year.
SMU (3-6 MIAC, 5-9 overall) returns home on Monday, when the Cardinals play host to Augsburg in a 7:45 p.m. conference matchup at the SMU Gym.
