NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team hits the road on Saturday, traveling to Carleton for a key MIAC showdown against the Knights. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.




The Teams:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-3 MIAC / 8-3 Overall)
Carleton Knights (4-1 MIAC / 5-5 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats / Live Video / Video Preview

Last Action:
The Cardinals got 16 points and 13 rebounds from Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.), but it was not enough, as St. Olaf built a seven-point, 33-26 halftime lead and never looked back in beating SMU 65-55 Wednesday at the SMU Gym. Carleton, meanwhile, suffered its first conference loss of the season, falling to fifth-ranked St. Thomas 62-59 on a 3-pointer at the buzzer Wednesday in St. Paul, Minn.

A Year Ago:
January 4, 2010: Carleton closed the first half on a 14-2 run — including 11 straight points to end the half — and never looked back in handing SMU an 80-63 setback at the SMU Gym.

February 3, 2010: Jeremy Sutherland knocked down a 3-pointer less than two minutes into the first half, and Carleton never relinquished the lead, as the Knights raced out to a 44-31 halftime advantage and rolled to an 80-60 MIAC victory over the Cardinals in Northfield, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are off until next Saturday, when SMU travels to St. Paul, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference game against Hamline. Carleton, meanwhile, returns to action on Wednesday, hosting Bethel in a 7:30 p.m. contest in Northfield, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.) put together his second straight double-double against St. Olaf Wednesday, scoring 16 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. It was the sophomore's sixth double-double of the season — and 14th of his collegiate career. … Ten of Palmer's 13 rebounds came in the first half. … Palmer, who is averaging 9.2 rebounds-per-game, has led the team in rebounds in nine of SMU's 10 games. … Palmer has now scored in double figures in nine of the team's 11 games, including a career-best 37 points in SMU's win over Bethel on Dec. 6. … Palmer's 37-point effort against Bethel on Dec . 6 was the Cardinals' highest individual offensive output since Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) scored 41 points vs. MacMurray on Nov. 22, 2008. … Palmer's 13 free throws made vs. the Royals on Dec. 6 were also the most since Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) drained 14 vs. Hamline on Feb. 11, 2009. … St. Olaf held Wright to eight points Wednesday, snapping the senior's streak of consecutive games scoring 10 or more points at 40. … Wright has scored in double figures in 76 of his 86 collegiate games, including 31 games of 20 or more points. … Wright enters today's game at Carleton with 1,522 points, leaving him eight points shy of Ken Jansen for seventh all time in career scoring. … With his nine points vs. St. Olaf Wednesday, Holland is just 20 points behind Ryan Rankin for No. 13 all-time. … The Cardinals boasted two players with 20 or more points for the first time this season in their Dec. 4 win over Macalester, as Wright scored a game-high 29 points and Holland chipped in 23. Both were season highs. … Palmer enters today's game vs. Carleton as the team's leading scorer, averaging 18.3 ppg. Wright (16.9 ppg) and Holland (12.0 ppg) are also averaging in double figures. … Wright (13), Palmer (12) and Holland (10) have accounted for 35 of the Cardinals' 50 3-pointers this season. … SMU's loss at St. Thomas on Monday was the first road loss of the season for the Cardinals, who are 5-1 away from home. … Monday's setback vs. UST also 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. … As a team, the Cardinals lead the MIAC in free throws made (109) and free throw percentage (.838) through six conference games. … Wright is the conference leader in free throw percentage, 29-for-31, .935) and minutes played (36.67 mpg) through six MIAC contests, while his 17.8 ppg scoring average is third in the conference. … Palmer, meanwhile, is first in the league in defensive rebounds (48) and third in rebounds-per-game (10.3), while his 17.5 ppg average ranks fourth | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Carleton Knights News and Notes:
Wednesday's heart-breaking loss to fifth-ranked St. Thomas snapped the Knights' two-game winning streak. After starting 0-3, Carleton is 5-2 in its last seven games. … All five of Carleton's losses have come on the road. The Knights are a perfect 4-0 on their home court. … Jeremy Sutherland scored a team-high 16 points vs. St. Thomas on Wednesday, leading four Carleton players in double figures. Caleb Rosenow tallied 13 points, while Tom Sawatzke and Scott Theisen added 12 and 10 points, respectively. … Sutherland has now led the team in scoring in each of its last four games and enters today's contest against Saint Mary's averaging a team-leading 15.9 ppg. … Rosenow is also averaging in double figures at 10.7 ppg. … Carleton has outscored its opponents 329-313 in the second half. Carleton and its opponents have both scored 296 points in the game's opening 20 minutes. … The Knights captured their first-ever MIAC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Division III national tournament a year ago | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics