WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team plays its third game in five days on Wednesday, hosting Carleton in a 7:30 p.m. conference game at the SMU Gym.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-7 MIAC | 2-12 Overall)
vs. Carleton Knights (3-6 MIAC | 6-8 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals got double-figure scoring from Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) and Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.), but could not overcome a 19-point halftime deficit in falling to Hamline 80-61 in St. Paul, Minn. … Carleton, meanwhile, struggled in the first half and never recovered in falling to Augsburg 66-52 in Northfield, Minn.

SMU vs. Carleton — Earlier This Year:
November 30, 2011: SMU matched Carleton basket-for-basket over the game's final 20 minutes. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the first half wasn't as kind, as SMU made just 4 of 24 field goals and never recovered in falling to the Knights 93-48 in the teams' conference opener in Northfield, Minn.

SMU vs. Carleton — A Year Ago:
January 8, 2011: Chris Palmer scored 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, but the sophomore's effort was not enough, as Carleton raced out to a 36-24 halftime lead and handed the Cardinals a 74-57 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback in Northfield, Minn.
February 12, 2011: The Cardinals could not find their shooting touch, falling to Carleton 76-55 in an MIAC game at the SMU Gym. SMU shot 36 percent from the field, hitting 19 of 52 field goals, but couldn't slow down the high-powered, league-leading Knights.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are back home again on Saturday, as SMU hosts league-leading St. Thomas in a 3 p.m. game at the SMU Gym. … Carleton, meanwhile, is also home on Saturday, hosting cross-town rival St. Olaf in a 3 p.m. conference game in Northfield, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Wednesday's game against Carleton is the first of three straight home games for the Cardinals, who have played just four of their first 14 games on their home court. … Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) scored 14 points for the second straight game Monday against Hamline. The freshman guard hit 5 of 13 field goals and was 4-for-5 from the free throw line. … Pederson's effort was one point shy of his career-best 15 points, recorded against Saint John's on Dec. 5. … Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) chipped in 13 points against the Pipers Monday. … Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) pulled down a career-high nine rebounds against Hamline. … Burfeind has now scored in double figures in 13 of the team's 14 games. … Burfeind scored a game-high 23 points against Bethel last Wednesday, giving him six 20-plus performances this season. … Burfeind — who has led the team in scoring in 10 of their 14 games and owns the top five individual offensive outputs this season — scored a career-high 38 points against Concordia on Dec. 7. It was the first 30-point effort of Burfeind's career and was the most scored by a Cardinal since Will Wright tossed in 41 against MacMurray (Ill.) on Nov. 22, 2008. … With their 38- and 23-point efforts against Concordia on Dec. 7, Burfeind and Freeman marked the first time SMU has had two players score 20 or more points in the same game this season. … Freeman equaled his career high with 23 points in SMU's 62-47 win over Macalester on Jan. 7. The Cardinal senior also netted 23 points against Concordia on Dec. 7. … After scoring in double figures just 11 times in his first three seasons with the Cardinals, Freeman has already netted 10 or more points seven times in SMU's 14 games this season. … Burfeind, who recorded his first collegiate double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds against Saint John's on Dec. 5, enters Wednesday's game vs. Carleton as the team leader in scoring (19.2 ppg) and rebounding (5.4 rpg). … Burfeind's 19.2 ppg average ranks him third in the MIAC in scoring. … Freeman is also averaging in double figures at 11.0 ppg. … The Cardinals enter Wednesday's game against Carleton averaging 60.5 ppg. They scored a season-high 79 points in a 91-79 loss at UW-Oshkosh on Nov. 25, 2011. … Four of SMU's top five offensive outputs have come on the road. … With their win over Macalester on Jan. 7, the Cardinals improved to 7-0 vs. the Scots under coach Todd Landrum.

Carleton Knights News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Monday's 66-52 loss to Augsburg was the sixth straight setback for the Knights. … Carleton has surrendered 66 points in each of its last two games. … Wednesday's game at Saint Mary's is the second straight road game for the Knights, who has recorded four of their six wins away from home. … Carleton has scored 70 or more points in five of their six wins — the lone exception a 69-67 victory over Elmhurst on Nov. 23. On the flip side, the Knights have failed to score more than 60 points in seven of their eight losses. … Scott Theisen and Shane McSparron each scored in double figures against Augsburg Monday, with Theisen netting 14 points, while McSparron chipped in 12. … Caleb Rosenow, who was held to nine points against Augsburg Monday, enters Wednesday's game at Saint Mary's owning a team-best 15.0 ppg scoring average. … Rosenow is one of four Knights averaging in double figures — Tom Sawatzke (14.6 ppg), Theisen (12.6 ppg) and Taylor Hanson (11.0 ppg) are the other three. … Swatzke and Rosenow have each scored 20 or more points three times this season. Swatzke owns the team's highest individual offensive output, scoring 26 points against St. Thomas last Wednesday, while Rosenow has netted 25 points twice. … Swatzke (28) and Theisen (15) have accounted for 43 of the team's 54 3-pointers. … Along with his team-best 15.0 ppg scoring average, Rosenow also leads the team in rebounds with 108 (7.7 rpg). … Carleton enters Wednesday's game at Saint Mary's averaging 65.4 ppg — including a season-best 93 points in the Knights' first meeting with SMU on Nov. 30. … Carleton has outscored its opponents 461-429 in the first half, but the Knights have been outscored 469-454 after halftime.