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WINONA, Minn. — It wasn't quite the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener Saint Mary's University men's basketball coach Todd Landrum was hoping for.

The Cardinals, fresh off back-to-back wins over Crown and Luther to kick off the season, had their sights set on their third straight win, after racing out to a 31-25 halftime advantage against visiting Augsburg.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the Auggies frustrated them with a number of different defensive looks in the second half — and the Auggies walked out with a 63-54 come-from-behind win.

“I am extremely surprised and disappointed at the way we played tonight,” SMU coach Todd Landrum said. “They did a nice job on defense, but I probably should have called more sets tonight.

“I'll take the responsibility for that.”

The Cardinals led by six, 31-25, at halftime, but struggled to get their shots to fall over the game's final 20 minutes, shooting just 37 percent from the field (9-for-24).

With the Cardinals boasting a 42-38 advantage midway through the second stanza, Augsburg went on 12-0 run to take a 50-42 lead — a lead the Auggies would not relinquish.

SMU got it to 50-44 on a layup by Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.), but after SMU forced the Auggies to take a bad shot, it was Augsburg's  Brett Sorenson who delivered the dagger. Sorenson skied through the lane and was able to softly tap in the miss, as well as draw a foul. Sorenson completed the three-point play to make it 53-44 and the Cardinals never threatened again.

“I thought we got some good looks, but we just couldn't finish,” Landrum said. “The big thing that their zone did, was that it really stopped us from getting to the free throw line tonight.

“But we also didn't attack the way we needed to either.”

Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) led the way for SMU, scoring 18 points, while Palmer chipped in 10 points and 13 rebounds for his second double-double in the Cardinals' first three games. Pat Freeman (Champlin Park, Minn.) and Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) also scored in double figures for the Cardinals, finishing with 10 points each.

The Cardinals return to action on Saturday, traveling to Macalester for a 3 p.m. conference contest against the Scots.