WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team, coming off its second straight conference win, hosts Concordia Saturday in a 3 p.m. MIAC contest at the SMU Gym.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-1 MIAC / 4-1 Overall)
Concordia Cobbers (0-2 MIAC / 3-3 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals picked up their second straight conference win, boasting four players in double figures en route to a 79-64 MIAC victory over Bethel at the SMU Gym Monday. Concordia, meanwhile, dropped its second straight Monday, falling to Carleton 70-66 in Moorhead, Minn.

A Year Ago:
January 16, 2010 — Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.) knocked down a career-high 26 points, while also adding nine boards, in leading the Cardinals to a 71-55 conference win over Concordia in Moorhead, Minn.

February 13, 2010 — The Cardinals could not get their offense in sync, and fell to Concordia 74-66 in an MIAC game at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals step out of conference play on Wednesday, when they travel to La Crosse, Wis., for a nonconference game against Viterbo. Concordia, meanwhile, is right back on the court on Sunday, when the Cobbers travel to St. Olaf for a 3 p.m. conference tilt.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.) scored a career-high 37 points in leading the Cardinals to their 79-64 win over Bethel Monday. … Palmer's effort, which included a 10-for-12 effort from the field and a perfect 13-for-13 showing from the free-throw line, was the Cardinals' highest individual offensive output since Will Wright (Chcago, Ill.) scored 41 points vs. MacMurray on Nov. 22, 2008. … Palmer hit his first three shots — all 3-pointers — and finished 4-for-5 from behind the 3-point line. … Palmer's 13 free throws made were also the most since Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) drained 14 vs. Hamline on Feb. 11, 2009. … Palmer has missed just one free throw this season, going 36-for-37 from the charity stripe. … Along with his 37 points, Palmer also pulled down 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and 11th of his collegiate career. … Palmer was one of four SMU players scoring in double figures vs. the Royals Monday. Wright added 16 points, while Holland and Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) chipped in 13 and 10 points, respectively. … Wright has now scored in double figures in 35 straight games — and 71 times in his 75 collegiate games. The senior guard has also eclipsed the 20-point barrier 30 times in his career. … Wright has netted 1,446 points in his four years at SMU, leaving him 98 points behind Ken Jansen for seventh all-time in career scoring. … Holland, meanwhile, boasts 1,151 career points, passing Jerry Sauser for No. 20 all-time. … The Cardinals boasted two players with 20 or more points for the first time this season in last Saturday's win over Macalester, as Wright scored a game-high 29 points and Holland chipped in 23. Both were season highs. … SMU enters today's game vs. Concordia boasting three players averaging in double figures — Palmer (19.2 ppg), Wright (18.4 ppg) and Holland (14.2 ppg). … Palmer is also averaging a team-high 9.2 rpg. … Palmer leads the MIAC in rebounds, pulling down 10.7 rpg in three conference contests, while Wright is the conference leader in minutes played, averaging 37.33. … SMU has outscored its opponents 178-139 in the game's opening 20 minutes | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Concordia Cobbers News and Notes:
After opening the season with three wins in their first four games, the Cobbers have dropped back-to-back conference contests heading into today's showdown with Saint Mary's. … Two of the Cobbers' three losses have been by four points or less — a 65-63 season-opening loss to UM-Morris and Monday's 70-66 setback vs. Carleton. … Today's game is the second of three straight road games for the Cobbers, who are 1-1 away from home this season. … John Fraase and Aaron Lindahl led a trio of Cobbers in double figures vs. Carleton Monday, scoring 16 points each. … Fraase enters today's game vs. SMU with a team-leading 14.7 ppg scoring average, while Darrin Olmscheid is also averaging in double figures at 11.5 ppg. … The Cobbers have had a different leading scorer in each of their last three games — Karl Olson (13 points vs. Central-Iowa), Olmscheid (15 points vs. Gustavus), and Fraase and Lindahl (16 points vs. Carleton). … As a team, the Cobbers have netted 35 3-pointers, led by Andrew Martinson with eight and Olmscheid with six. … Concordia's opponents have scored 194 points in each half this season, while the Cobbers have netted 188 points in the opening 20 minutes, and 224 after halftime | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics