Box Score  | GameDay Preview

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The first time the Saint Mary's University and Augsburg men's basketball teams squared off, the game went right down to the wire, with the Auggies escaping the SMU Gym with a 65-61 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory.

And the two teams picked up right where they left off when they met again Saturday afternoon on the Auggies' home court.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, their second straight nailbiter against the Auggies ended in much the same fashion as the first, as Augsburg dealt SMU a 66-57 setback.

Trailing by nine at the half, 32-23, the Cardinals made their move, using a 28-18 run over the first 13 minutes of the second half to grab a 51-50 advantage.

That, however, would be the last time SMU would lead, as Andy Seidilitz drained a 3-pointer to give the Auggies the lead for good, 53-51. The Cardinals got as close as four, 61-57, with 1:02 remaining in regulation, but the Auggies drained 5 of 6 free throws over the final 62 seconds to seal the win.

Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) scored a game-high 19 points — including 15 in the first half, when the SMU senior accounted for 15 of the team's 23 points. Tom Gores (Rochester, Minn.) chipped in 10 points, while Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) added eight points, six rebounds and four assists.

Seidilitz and Tyler Schmidt each netted 15 points, while Cory Polta added 14 for the Auggies (12-6 MIAC, 15-8 overall).

The Cardinals kick off a busy week on Monday, traveling to Arden Hills, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. conference contest against Bethel. SMU will then host Hamline in its final home game of the season on Wednesday, before closing out the 2011-12 campaign on the road at St. Thomas next Saturday.