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WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University vs. Crown men's basketball game was more like a heavyweight title fight — with Crown's Anthony Di Loreto against SMU's Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) the main event.

In the Blue Corner was Di Loreto, a 7-for-1 sophomore who entered the SMU Gym averaging a double-double of 20.3 ppg and 13.5 rpg

In the Red Corner was Burfeind, a 6-8 senior who had led the Cardinals in scoring in each of the three games he'd played and was averaging a team-best 18.7 ppg, while also collecting 4.7 rpg.

And the two didn't disappoint, as Di Loreto attacked with a 26-points, 7-rebound haymaker, and Burfeind answered with a one-two combination of 26 points and three boards.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Burfeind's season-high performance — not to mention the Herculean effort of Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.), who chipped in 16 points and dished out nine assists — was not enough, as the Storm escaped the SMU Gym with a 72-69 nonconference victory.

The first half proved to be a see-saw affair, with neither team leading by more than three in the game's opening 12 minutes. Crown tried to pull away, building its biggest lead of the game, 34-24, with just over three minutes remaining. A basket by Burfeind, however, capped a half-ending 8-2 SMU run, as the Cardinals went into the locker room down by four, 36-32.

SMU came out smoking in the second half, as Burfeind converted a pair of three-point plays to ignite a 14-3 half-opening run that gave the Cardinals a 46-39 cushion.

The Storm clawed back to tie the game, 50-50, with 11:18 remaining and neither team led by more than three the rest of the way. SMU grabbed a 69-68 advantage on a 3-pointer by Tom Gores (Rochester, Minn.) with 1:32 on the clock. Crown answered with a layup by Di Loreto to give Storm a one-point, 70-69 lead with 1:04 on the clock.

SMU had three chances to retake the lead, but couldn't get the ball to drop, and a pair of free throws by Truman Shetler pushed Crown's lead to three, 72-69 with 15 seconds on the clock. The Cardinals put up two 3-pointers in the waning seconds, but again the shots failed to find the mark.

Burfeind was virtually unstoppable from the field, hitting 11 of 19 field goal attempts and knocking down all four of his free throws en route to his highest offensive point total of the season. Pederson, meanwhile, scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half, while also dishing out a career-best nine assists.

Along with Di Loreto's 26-point effort, Crown got 12 points from Shetler.

The Cardinals are back in action on Wednesday, traveling to Mankato, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. nonconference game against Bethany Lutheran.