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MOORHEAD, Minn. — After scoring a career-high 26 points in the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team's loss at Saint John's on Monday, the question was pretty simple — what would the Cardinals'
Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) do for an encore?
How about 20 points in the game's opening 20 minutes and yet another career-best effort of 38 points against Concordia Wednesday evening.
Burfeind's Herculean effort, however, was not enough as SMU trailed by 11 points at the half for the third consecutive game and could not recover, falling to the Cobbers 85-78 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Memorial Auditorium.
After managing just 31 points in the first half, the Cardinals found their shooting touch over the game's final 20 minutes, knocking down 13 of 28 field goal attempts — including five 3-pointers — while outscoring the Cobbers 47-43.
With Burfeind, leading the way, the Cardinals cut the Cobbers' 11-point halftime lead to seven, 61-54, on a 3-pointer by
Tom Gores (Rochester, Minn.) with seven minutes remaining in regulation.
Five straight points by
Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) got Saint Mary's within six, 69-63, with less than four minutes on the clock, but each time SMU threatened down the stretch, the Cobbers answered, holding off the hard-charging Cardinals for the seven-point victory.
Burfeind — who equaled his then-career high of 26 points with 12 minutes remaining in the second half, before adding 12 more points in the final eight minutes — was unstoppable in recording SMU's highest single-game offensive total since
Will Wright tossed in 41 points against MacMurray (Ill.) on Nov. 22, 2008. The junior went 13-for-24 from the field, while draining 11 of 12 free throws.
Freeman also enjoyed a career night vs. the Cobbers, as the senior forward complimented Burfeind's 36-point effort with 23 points of his own, while Gores chipped in 12 points.
The Cardinals (0-4 MIAC, 0-8 overall) are now off until next Wednesday, when they step out of conference play, hosting Viterbo in a 7:45 p.m. nonconference game at the SMU Gym.
