The Records:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-8 MIAC / 6-11 Overall)
Gustavus Gusties (10-2 MIAC / 12-5 Overall)

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Last Action: Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.) scored a team-high 19 points, and the Cardinals rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit to pull within one with 30 seconds remaining, but Bethel knocked down a pair of free throws in the final seconds to secure a 82-79 Royals' win in Arden Hills, Minn., Saturday. Gustavus, meanwhile, got 21 points from Jesse Van Sickle, as the Gusties slipped past Concordia 79-72 in a conference game Saturday in Moorhead, Minn.

Last Meeting — December 7, 2009: Trailing by 23, 47-24, at the break, SMU erupted for 53 second-half points, and had a chance at a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied the game, but Lukas Holland's (La Crosse, Wis.) trey went in-and-out, allowing Gustavus to hang on for an 80-77 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory in St. Peter, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinal Notes: Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.), who scored a game-high 24 points in the Cardinals' win over Macalester last Wednesday, finished with a team-best 19 points against Bethel Saturday. … Palmer has now led the team in scoring in four of their last five games. … Palmer missed his fifth double-double of the season by one rebound, finishing with a team-best nine boards against the Royals. … Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.), Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) and Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) also scored in double figures vs. Bethel Saturday, netting 16, 14 and 12 points, respectively. … Burfeind's 14 points and seven rebounds vs. Bethel last Saturday were both career highs. … Wright has now scored in double figures in 58 of his 63 collegiate games. … With 1,200 career points, Wright has moved to within two points of Willie Green for 13th all-time on the SMU career scoring list. Next up for Wright is Ryan Rankin's 1,232 points. … The Cardinals enter today's game boasting three players averaging in double figures — Wright (17.6 ppg), Holland (15.1 ppg) and Palmer (14.6 ppg). … The Cardinals boasted a pair of 20-point scorers for the fourth time this season last Wednesday against Macalester, getting 24 points from Palmer and 21 from Wright. … SMU's trio of Palmer, Wright and Holland accounted for 64 of the team's 78 points vs. Macalester — including the first 24 points of the second half. … Palmer's 24 points vs. the Scots last Wednesday were two shy of the freshman's career-best 26-point effort vs. Concordia on Jan. 16. …  The Cardinals' 79 points in Saturday's loss to Bethel was their second-highest offensive output of the season and the most since netting 85 in an 87-75 overtime loss to Lake Forest on Nov. 29.

Gustavus Gustie Notes: The Gusties put together their second-highest offensive performance of the season with its 79-point effort in Saturday's win over Concordia. … With Saturday's win, Gustavus has now won two of its last three and six of its last eight. … Travis Van Sickle scored 21 points for the second time this season in leading GAC past Concordia Saturday. Van Sickle was one of five Gusties to score in double figures, being joined by Ryan McPartland (13), Dan Schmidtknect (11), Tyler Grey (11) and Phil Wirtjes (10). … Sam Paulson scored 12 points and pulled down 10 rebounds vs. Carleton on Dec. 12 in recording GAC's only double-double of the season. … McPartland enters today's game at Saint Mary's as the team's offensive leader, boasting a team-best 10.2 ppg average, while also leading the team in rebounds (4.8 rpg). … Twenty of Wirtjes' 50 field goals have come from behind the 3-point line. … Wirtjes also leads the team at the free throw line, hitting 35 of 40 (.875). …  The Gusties have been equally successful at home or on the road, picking up six wins at Gus Young Court, while also collecting six wins away from home.