MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team closes out a lengthy road swing on Wednesday, traveling to Augsburg for a 7:30 p.m. conference game against the Auggies.




The Teams:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-6 MIAC / 8-6 Overall)
Augsburg Auggies (5-6 MIAC / 10-6 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals had three players score in double figures, but a cold-shooting second half proved costly, as Saint John's pulled away in the second half to beat SMU 84-68 Monday in Collegeville, Minn. Augsburg, meanwhile, fell behind by as many as 15 in the first half and never recorded in dropping a 66-58 MIAC decision at Gustavus Monday in St. Peter, Minn.

Earlier This Year:
December 1, 2010: 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 of the SMU Gym with a 63-54 come-from-behind win.

A Year Ago:
January 18, 2010: SMU got double-figure scoring from three players — including a game-high 19 points from Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) and a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds from Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.), but it was not quite enough, as Augsburg built a 14-point second-half lead and held off a late run to beat the Cardinals 73-66 at the SMU Gym.

February 19, 2010: Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) scored a season-high 30 points, but it was not enough, as Augsburg handed the Cardinals a 76-72 setback in the teams' regular-season finale in Minneapolis, Minn.

Up Next:
After four straight road games, the Cardinals finally return home on Saturday, squaring off against Gustavus in a 3 p.m. conference matchup at the SMU Gym. Augsburg, meanwhile, is off until next Wednesday, when the Auggies travel to league-leading St. Thomas for a 7:30 p.m. conference game in St. Paul, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Tonight's game is the fourth straight road game for the Cardinals, who are playing on the road for the eighth time in their last nine games. … Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.) continued to put up stellar numbers this season, as the Cardinal sophomore scored 24 points against the Johnnies Monday. Palmer was one of three SMU players to score in double figures vs. SJU — Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) added 19 points, while Pat Freeman (Champlin, Minn.) chipped in 10. … Palmer missed recording his fifth straight double-double by one rebound, finishing with nine boards against the Johnnies. … Eleven of Palmer's 24 points vs. SJU came from the free throw line, where he was 11-for-12. It was the fifth time this season Palmer has made 10 or more free throws in a game. … Palmer has scored in double figures in eight straight games and 11 times in the team's 13 games. He has posted six games of 20 or more points — including a career-best 37 points in SMU's win over Bethel on Dec. 6. … Palmer's 37-point effort against Bethel was the Cardinals' highest individual offensive output since Wright scored 41 points vs. MacMurray on Nov. 22, 2008. … Palmer, who has collected eight double-doubles this season — and 16 in his collegiate career — enters tonight's game against Augsburg averaging a team- and conference-best 18.9 ppg. … Palmer, who is averaging 9.5 rebounds-per-game, has led the team in rebounding in 12 of its 13 games. … Wright chipped in 19 points against Saint John's on Monday and has now scored in double figures in 78 of his 89 collegiate games, including 32 games of 20 or more points. … With his 19 points Monday, Wright pushed his career point total to 1,588. He currently ranks sixth all time and trails No. 5 Doug Luebbe by 96 points. … Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.), meanwhile, scored nine points vs. Saint John's Monday, lifting him past Ryan Rankin into 12th all-time with 1,236 points. … The Cardinals boasted two players with 20 or more points in their Dec. 4 win over Macalester, as Wright scored a game-high 29 points and Holland chipped in 23. Both were season highs. … The Cardinals enter tonight's game vs. Augsburg with three players averaging in double figures — Palmer (18.9 ppg), Wright (16.7 ppg) and Holland (11.1 ppg). … Wright leads the team with 19 3-pointers. Palmer (15), Holland (13) and Freeman (12) have also netted 10 or more treys this season. … Wright and Palmer are one-two, individually, in the conference in free throw percentage. Wright is 53-for-58 (.914) from the line, while Palmer is 93-for-104 (.894). Palmer is also second in the league in rebounding (133 rebounds, 9.5 rpg). … As a team, the Cardinals lead the MIAC in free throw percentage (.807), knocking down 238 of 295 attempts. … SMU's loss at St. Thomas on Jan. 3 snapped the Cardinals' season-high six-game winning streak. … SMU's 66-59 double-overtime win over Millikin on Dec. 29 was its first 2 OT game since the Cardinals lost to Concordia 63-59 on Jan. 3, 1998 | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Augsburg Auggies News and Notes:
Monday's 66-58 loss at Gustavus Monday snapped the Auggies' three-game winning streak. … Augsburg enters today's game vs. Saint Mary's having won five of their last seven games. … Augsburg has played in two overtime games this season — falling to Hamline 102-98 on Dec. 8, and beating Bethel 74-72 on Jan. 8. … After scoring 70 or more points in six straight games, the Auggies have been held under 70 points in their last three games. … Cory Polta scored a team-high 17 points in Augsburg's loss to Gustavus Monday, while Andy Grzesiak-Grimm hauled in a team-best 11 rebounds. … With Polta's team-high 17-point effort Monday, the Auggies have had a different leading scorer in each of its last three games. Grzesiak-Grimm, meanwhile, has had 10 or more rebounds in the team's last two games. … The Auggies come into tonight's game with three players averaging in double figures. Grzesiak-Grimm and Polta share the team lead at 13.1 ppg, while Matthew Quammen is averaging 12.6 ppg. As a team, the Auggies are scoring at a 71.1 ppg clip. … Augsburg has been outscored 497-479 in the first half, but has outscored its opponents by 100 points — 570-470 — over the game's final 20 minutes | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics