NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball hits the road on Saturday, traveling to St. Olaf for a 3 p.m. conference showdown with the Oles.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-9 MIAC | 3-14 Overall)
at St. Olaf Oles (8-4 MIAC | 9-8 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats | Streaming Audo/Video

Last Action:
The Cardinals boasted three players in double figures, but it was not enough Wednesday, as Saint John's pulled away in the second half to hand SMU a 64-50 MIAC setback at the SMU Gym. … St. Olaf, meanwhile, led from start to finish in handing Macalester a 68-54 conference setback in St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday.

SMU vs. St. Olaf — Earlier This Year:
December 3, 2011: SMU went point-for-point with St. Olaf in the second half of its MIAC matchup at the SMU Gym. … Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the first half was a different story, as the Oles built an 11-point, 35-24 halftime advantage, and held off a late Saint Mary's comeback to beat SMU 67-56.

SMU vs. St. Olaf — A Year Ago:
January 5, 2011: Chris Palmer scored 16 points and added 13 rebounds, but it was not enough, as the Cardinals dropped a 65-55 conference decision to the Oles at the SMU Gym.
February 9, 2011: Chris Palmer recorded his second double-double in as many meetings with the Oles, netting 15 points and hauling in 11 rebounds, but St. Olaf scored the game's first seven points and never looked back, beating SMU 83-65 in an MIAC at Skoglund Arena in Northfield, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals kick off a three-game homestand on Monday, hosting Concordia in a 7 p.m. conference game at the SMU Gym. … St. Olaf, meanwhile, plays its second straight home game on Monday, entertaining Hamline in a 7:30 p.m. contest at Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Following Saturday's game at St. Olaf, the Cardinals will play three straight home games. The Cardinals have picked up two of their three wins on their home court this season. … After Saturday's road game at St. Olaf, SMU will begin its second three-game homestand next Monday against Concordia. … Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) was one of three Cardinals to score in double figures against the Johnnies Wednesday, netting a team-high 14 points. Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) chipped in 11 points and four assists, while Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) added 10 points. … Burfeind tossed in 25 points against St. Thomas last Saturday, marking  the eighth time this season the SMU junior has scored 20 or more points. … Burfeind — who has led the team in scoring in 13 of their 17 games and owns the top five individual offensive outputs this season — has now scored in double figures in 16 of the Cardinals' 17 games. … Burfeind's career-high 38 points against Concordia on Dec. 7 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. … Freeman recorded a career-high nine rebounds against Hamline on Jan. 16. … Burfeind, who recorded his first collegiate double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds in SMU's first meeting against Saint John's on Dec. 5, enters Saturday's game at St. Olaf as the team leader in scoring (19.8 ppg) and rebounding (88, 5.2 rpg). He also boasts a team-best .852 free throw percentage, going 98-for-115. … Burfeind's 19.8 ppg average ranks him second in the MIAC in scoring. … Freeman also enters Saturday's game at St. Olaf averaging in double figures at 10.8 ppg. …  Pederson is the team's assist leader with 58 and ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.3 ppg. … The Cardinals enter Saturday's game against St. Olaf averaging 60.0 ppg. They scored a season-high 79 points in a 91-79 loss at UW-Oshkosh on Nov. 25, 2011. … Three of SMU's top five offensive outputs have come on the road. … SMU was held to four free throws against Saint John's on Wednesday, and the Cardinals made all four. … SMU's 35-point first-half effort against St. Thomas on Jan. 21 was its second-highest first-half output of the season, one point shy of the 36 points the Cardinals scored against UW-Oshkosh on Nov. 25. … SMU's 64-60 win over Carleton on Jan. 18 put an end to a pair of streak for the Cardinals, who snapped their two-game losing streak, while also ending a 23-game losing streak against the Knights. SMU had not beaten Carleton since a 69-55 win in Northfield on Jan. 29, 2000. … With their win over Macalester on Jan. 7, the Cardinals improved to 7-0 vs. the Scots under coach Todd Landrum.

St. Olaf Oles News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of two straight home games for the Oles, who are 4-2 on their home court this season. … The Oles' 68-54 win over Macalester on Wednesday was their second straight win and third in their last four games. … Bobby Fong scored a team-high 23 points and Stu Neville chipped in a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds in St. Olaf's win over Macalester on Wednesday. … It was the second straight double-double and fifth of the season for Neville. … The Oles scored the game's first basket vs. Macalester Wednesday and never trailed. … Neville enters Saturday's game against Saint Mary's boasting a team-high 16.1 ppg scoring average, while Fong is also averaging in double figures at 15.2 ppg. … Neville has also hauled in a team-best 149 rebounds — including 126 on the defensive end. … St. Olaf, which is averaging 69.1 ppg, has drained 105 3-pointers, led by Fong with 25, Neville with 18, Nathan Kuck with 14 and Alfred Jaryan with 11. … The Oles have played two overtime games this season — winning both. St. Olaf topped Saint John's 82-77, and, a week later, edged Carleton 67-66 in OT.