Box Score Game Summary / Holland Video Interview / GameDay Preview

LA CROSSE, Wis. — With the game tied, 50-50 with just over 10 minutes remaining Wednesday evening, Saint Mary's University men's basketball coach Todd Landrum addressed his team during a timeout.

“This is our time,” Landrum said emphatically.

And his team responded.

The Cardinals awoke from their funk and went on a game-ending, 19-5 run to finish off Viterbo 69-55 in a nonconference battle at Beggs Gym.

The win is the fourth in a row for SMU and moves their overall record to 6-1 — marking the second-best start to the season in the program's history.

“We really did a great job executing down that final stretch,” Landrum said. “We've done a great job this year finishing off games, and everyone on our team believes that's what we're supposed to do.”

Tied at 50-50, Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) drained two free throws with 10:04 remaining to start the Cardinals' decisive run — and the Cardinals never looked back.

Viterbo got what was an eight-point lead down to six with five minutes left, and seemed to have some momentum, but Pat Freeman (Champlin, Minn.) drilled a three from the corner to put the Cardinals back ahead by nine.

While the final, 14-point margin of victory may make it appear like beating the V-Hawks was a walk in the park, it was anything but.

In fact, after the game's opening 20 minutes, the Cardinals found themselves in an unfamiliar position — trailing at halftime.

The Cardinals shot 64 percent (16 of 25) from the field in the first half but still found themselves down at the break 37-36 — marking the first time this season SMU had trailed at the half.

“When you shoot 64 percent in a half, you should be winning,” Landrum said.

Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.) — the reigning MIAC Player of the Week — scored a game-high 17 points for the Cardinals, while Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) chipped in 16 and Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) added 14.

As a team, the Cardinals shot 59 percent from the field (26-for-44) and were 14-for-16 from the free-throw line. Viterbo, meanwhile, finished 21-for-47 from the field, but the V-Hawks hit just 6 of its 21 second-half field goal attempts.

The Cardinals (6-1 overall) are now off until Dec. 29-30, when they travel to Jacksonville, Ill., to take part in the two-day Illinois College Tournament. SMU opens tournament play against Millikin on Dec. 29. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.