WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball kicks off a three-game homestand on Monday, hosting Concordia in a 7 p.m conference contest at the SMU Gym.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-10 MIAC | 3-15 Overall)
vs. Concordia Cobbers (5-8 MIAC | 7-11 Overall)

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Last Action:
Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) and Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) combined for 32 points, but it was not enough, as St. Olaf pulled away from the Cardinals in handing SMU a 90-69 MIAC setback Saturday at Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn. … Concordia, meanwhile, had its game-winning field goal attempt bounce off the rim as Augsburg escaped Moorhead, Minn., with a 72-71 victory Saturday.

SMU vs. Concordia — Earlier This Year:
December 7, 2011: After scoring a career-high 26 points in SMU's loss at Saint John's, 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. 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 conference  game at Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, 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 back in action on Saturday, when SMU hosts Macalester in a 3 p.m. MIAC game at the SMU Gym. It's Senior Day for the Cardinals, who will honor Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.), Tim Kunkel (Northfield, Ill.) and Rod Goolsby (Chicago, Ill.)

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Monday's game against Concordia is the first of three straight home games for SMU. The Cardinals have picked up two of their three wins on their home court this season. … Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) and Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) each scored in double figures vs. the Oles Saturday, with Burfeind pouring in 18 points, while Freeman chipped in 14. … Burfeind — who has led the team in scoring in 14 of their 18 games and owns the top five individual offensive outputs this season — has now scored in double figures in 17 of the Cardinals' 18 games. … Burfeind tossed in 25 points against St. Thomas on Jan. 21, marking  the eighth time this season the SMU junior has scored 20 or more points. …  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. … 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 Monday's game vs. Concordia as the team leader in scoring (19.7 ppg) and rebounding (88, 4.9 rpg). He also boasts a team-best .851 free throw percentage, going 103-for-121. … Burfeind's 19.7 ppg average ranks him second in the MIAC in scoring. … With his 14-point effort vs. St. Olaf Saturday, Freeman has now scored in double figures in three straight games and 10 times this season. … Freeman recorded a career-high nine rebounds against Hamline on Jan. 16. …  Freeman also enters Monday's game vs. Concordia averaging in double figures at 11.0 ppg. …  Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) is the team's assist leader with 60 and ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.2 ppg. … The Cardinals enter Monday's game against Concordia averaging 60.5 ppg. They scored a season-high 79 points in a 91-79 loss at UW-Oshkosh on Nov. 25, 2011. … SMU's top four offensive outputs have come on the road. … SMU was held to four free throws against Saint John's last Wednesday, and the Cardinals made all four. … 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.

Concordia Cobbers News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Concordia lost 72-71 to Augsburg on Saturday, which snapped the Cobbers' two-game winning streak. The two-game win streak was CC's first multiple-game winning streak of the season. …  The Cobbers have struggled on the road this season. Concordia is 1-8 in away games. CC has done the bulk of their work at home, where they are 6-3. … Concordia's 71 points against the Auggies Saturday marked the third straight game the Cobbers have scored at least 70 points. The Cobbers had only scored more than 70 points in three of their first 15 games of the season. … Concordia has led at halftime in all seven of its wins this season. The Cobbers are 7-0 when leading at the break and 0-10 when they trail heading into the second half. CC is 0-1 when they are tied at halftime. … The Cobbers shot 52.7 percent from the field against Augsburg on Saturday. Concordia has shot better than 50 percent from the field in three straight games — but in only six games for the entire season. … Concordia has struggled on the defensive end of the court this season. Cobber opponents are averaging 71.5 ppg in conference play and CC is ninth in the MIAC in scoring defense. Concordia has allowed at least 70 points in nine of their 13 league games. … Cobber guard Dewon McKenzie leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.3 ppg. McKenzie has scored at least 10 points in three of the past five games and in 13 of the team's 18 games this season. … Concordia had a torrid shooting day in their 89-64 win over Saint John's on Jan. 21. The Cobbers were 13-for-26 from 3-point range. The 13 made 3-pointers tied for second most in a single game in school history. The program record is 15 which was set on Dec. 19, 2003 against Mayville State. … In addition to the team's hot shooting streak vs. SJU, Andrew Martinson had a career day from the outside as well. Martinson was 6-for-7 from long range and finished with a career-high 27 points in 24 minutes of play.