MOORHEAD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team is back on the road on Wednesday, traveling to Concordia for a 7:45 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against the Cobbers.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-3 MIAC | 0-7 Overall)
at Concordia Cobbers (1-1 MIAC | 2-4 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals got career-high performances from Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) and Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.), but it was not enough, as Saint John's jumped out to an 11-point halftime lead in handing SMU a 69-58 conference setback in Collegeville, Minn. … Concordia, meanwhile, has been off since last Saturday, when the Cobbers dropped their first conference game of the season, falling to Augsburg 75-59 in Minneapolis, Minn.

SMU vs. Concordia — A Year Ago:
December 11, 2010: The Cardinals, with the help of a snowed-in student section, got 18 points from Will Wright and Lukas Holland and rolled to a 69-55 MIAC victory over Concordia at the SMU Gym.
January 31, 2011: The Cobbers scored the game's final four points — all on John Fraase free throws — to rally for a 62-59 MIAC victory at Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are off until next Wednesday, when they step out of conference play for a 7:45 p.m. nonconference game against Viterbo. … Concordia, meanwhile, returns to the court on Saturday, hosting Hamline in a 3 p.m. MIAC game in Moorhead, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
With Wednesday's game at Concordia, the Cardinals will have traveled 1,120 miles in a span of three days. SMU played at Saint John's (390 miles roundtrip) on Monday, and make the 730-mile round-trip trek to Concordia two days later. … Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) scored a career-best 26 points in the Cardinals' loss at Saint John's on Monday. It was the second straight game and fifth time in seven contests that the junior has led the team in scoring. … Along with his career-high 26 points, Burfeind also hauled in a career-best 12 rebounds vs. SJU en route to his first collegiate double-double. … Burfeind's career-high 26-point effort marked the sixth time this season he has scored in double figures and the third time he has eclipsed the 20-point barrier. … Burfeind was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line Monday vs. Saint John's and has now made 16 of his last 17 attempts from the charity stripe. … Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) also recorded a career high in points against Saint John's on Monday, as the freshman netted 15 points. … LaMonte Hall (Minneapolis, Minn.) scored a career-best 15 points against the Oles Saturday. … The Cardinals boasted five players — Burfeind (24), Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / 13), Hall (12), Pederson (10) and Brandon Larsen (Rochester, Minn. / 10) — in double figures against UW-Oshkosh on Nov. 25. It was the first time since Feb. 10, 2010 that the Cardinals recorded five double-figure scorers in a game. … Burfeind enters Wednesday's game at Concordia averaging a team-best 17.7 ppg, while Pederson and Freeman are both averaging 9.9 ppg. … Pederson has dished out a team-high 31 assists through seven games, while Burfeind is tops in rebounds with 43 (6.1 rpg). … SMU dished out a season-high 15 assists in last Saturday's game against St. Olaf. … As a team, the Cardinals committed just three turnovers vs. UW-Oshkosh on Nov. 25, the fewest since recording three turnovers against Augsburg on Feb. 10, 2007. … The Cardinals, who closed out the 2010-2011 season as the top free-throw shooting team in all of NCAA Division III — shooting a school-record .794 from the line (394-for-496) — are 126-for-160 (79 percent) from the line this season.  … SMU went to the free throw line a season-high 32 times against UW-Oshkosh on Nov. 25, converting on 28 of their 32 attempts.

Concordia Cobbers News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of three straight home games for the Cobbers, who host Hamline on Saturday and St. Scholastica on Dec. 29. … Last Wednesday's win over Augsburg snapped the Cobbers' season-high three-game losing streak. … The Cobbers scored a season-high 64 points in their season-opening 66-44 win over UM-Morris on Nov. 17. … Dewon McKenzie scored a career-high 22 points in Saturday's 75-59 loss at Augsburg. … Three Cobbers — Aaron Lindahl (4-for-4), McKenzie (4-for-5) and Levi Abercrombie (2-for-2) — accounted for all of the Cobbers' free throw attempts vs. the Auggies Saturday. … McKenzie and Ebo Nana-Kweson enter Wednesday's game vs. Saint Mary's boasting a team-high 10.8 ppg scoring average. … Jason Huus is the team's rebounding leader, hauling in 52 boards (8.7 rpg) through six games. … As a team, the Cobbers are averaging 59.7 ppg, while Concordia's opponents have been scoring at a 66.7 ppg clip. … CC has been outscored by a combined seven points (182-175) in the first half, while the Cobbers' opponents hold a 220-183 scoring edge after halftime.