ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team, which dropped a 63-54 decision to Augsburg in its MIAC opener Wednesday at the SMU Gym, is back in action on Saturday, traveling to Macalester for a 3 p.m. MIAC game vs. the Scots.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-1 MIAC / 2-1 Overall)
Macalester Scots (0-1 MIAC / 0-4 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals got double-figure scoring from four players — including a game-high 18 from Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) — but it was not enough, as Augsburg rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to beat SMU 63-54 Wednesday in the teams' conference opener at the SMU Gym. Macalester, meanwhile, gave host St. Thomas — the nation's 13th-ranked team — all it could handle, but the Tommies used a 20-8 run over the final 9:22 to beat the Scots 72-63 Wednesday in St. Paul, Minn.

A Year Ago:
December 2, 2009 — SMU got a season-high 27 points from Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) and 18 from Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) — while holding off a late Scots' comeback attempt — en route to a 70-67 conference win in St. Paul, Minn.

January 20, 2010 — SMU scored the game's first 10 points and never looked back, getting a game-high 24 points from Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.) and 21 more from Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) in a convincing 78-60 MIAC win at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals return home on Monday, hosting Bethel in a 7:30 p.m. conference contest at the SMU Gym. Macalester, meanwhile, is back in action on Wednesday, hosting Gustavus in a 7:30 p.m. game at the Leonard Center.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Wednesday's loss to Augsburg Wednesday snapped the Cardinals' season-opening two-game winning streak. … Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) scored a team- and game-high 18 points vs. the Auggies Wednesday. … The Cardinals boasted four players in double figures vs. Augsburg — Wright with 18 and Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.), Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) and Pat Freeman (Champlin Park, Minn.) with 10 each. … Wright has now scored in double figures in 33 straight games — and 69 times in his 73 collegiate games — while Palmer extended his double-figure scoring streak to 18 straight contests. … With his 18 points vs. Augsburg, Wright pushed his career mark to 1,401, 143 points behind Ken Jansen for seventh all-time in career scoring. … Holland, meanwhile, boasts 1,115 career points and moved to within four points of Marty Lillig for No. 21 all-time. … Along with his 10 points vs. Augsburg, Palmer also pulled down 13 rebounds — including 12 defensive boards — en route to his second double-double of the season and 10th of his collegiate career. … Palmer's 13 rebounds were two shy of the career-high 15 he hauled in vs. Augsburg on Feb. 19, 2010. … Palmer's 23-point effort vs. Luther on Nov. 20 was the fifth time in his career the sophomore has scored 20 or more points — and was just three points shy of his career high. … SMU enters today's game vs. Macalester boasting three players averaging in double figures — Palmer (17.0 ppg), Wright (15.7 ppg) and Holland (11.7 ppg.). … Palmer is also averaging a team-high 9.0 ppg. … Palmer is a perfect 17-for-17 from the free throw line this season. … The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 103-70 in the first half | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Macalester Scots News and Notes:
Macalester enters today's game vs. Saint Mary's looking to snap a number of lengthy skids — its season-opening four-game losing streak, a 22-game losing streak that dates back to an 81-69 win over Martin Luther on Dec. 14, 2009, and a 48-game conference losing streak that stretches back to the 2007-2008 season. … The Scots have surrendered 70 or more points in all four contests this season — including a season-high 90 points in a 90-83 season-opening loss to Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 16. … Pierce Peters scored 20 points and added seven rebounds and five blocks in the Scots' conference-opening loss to No. 13 St. Thomas on Wednesday. … Kyle Hamblett and Justin Wasik also scored in double figures vs. the Tommies, netting 18 and 10 points, respectively. … Peters, who has led the team in scoring in each of their first four games, heads into today's showdown with SMU boasting a team-leading 21.5 ppg scoring average. He is one of three Scots averaging in double figures — Wasik (12.5 ppg) and Kyle Hamblett (12.3 ppg) are the other two. … Peters also boasts a team-best 7.5 rpg and recorded his first double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds against Northwestern on Nov. 23 | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics