ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team kicks off the final week of the 2011-12 season on the road on Monday, traveling to Bethel for a 7:30 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against the Royals.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (5-12 MIAC | 5-17 Overall)
at Bethel Royals (9-8 MIAC | 13-9 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals got a game-high 19 points from Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.), but it was not enough, as Augsburg pulled away late in handing SMU a 66-57 MIAC setback Saturday in Minneapolis, Minn. … Bethel, meanwhile, kept its MIAC playoff hopes alive Saturday, as the Royals picked up a key 76-61 win on the road at Hamline.

SMU vs. Bethel — Earlier This Year:
January 11, 2012: Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) knocked down a pair of clutch 3-pointers — accounting for six of his seven points on the night — in the game's final minutes and Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) scored a game-high 23 points in leading the Cardinals to their second straight win, a 51-49 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Bethel at the SMU Gym.

SMU vs. Bethel — A Year Ago:
December 6, 2010: Chris Palmer enjoyed his best night as a Cardinal, as he went for a career-high 37 points to go along with 11 rebounds, as the Cardinals topped Bethel 79-64 in an MIAC matchup at the SMU Gym.
January 26, 2011: SMU dropped a heartbreaker in its second meeting with the Royals, as Bethel's Daniel Baah drained a 3-pointer in the game's final seconds to lift the BU to a 66-63 conference win over SMU in Arden Hills, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals return to the SMU Gym for their final home game of the season on Wednesday, as SMU hosts Hamline in a 7:30 p.m. conference contest. … Bethel, meanwhile, are back on its home floor on Wednesday, hosting defending national champion St. Thomas in a 7:30 p.m. MIAC game in Arden Hills, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Monday's game is the second straight road contest for the Cardinals, who close out their season playing two of their final two games on the road. … Despite Saturday's loss at Augsburg, the Cardinals are 2-2 in their last four games. … Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) scored a game-high 19 points against Augsburg Saturday, marking the fourth time this season the Cardinal senior has led the team in scoring. … After scoring in double figures just 11 times in his first three seasons, Freeman has scored 10 or more points 13 times this season. … After scoring 26 of his 39 points in the second half of SMU's last three contests, Freeman tossed in 15 of his 19 points vs. Augsburg in the first half. … Freeman accounted for 15 of the Cardinals' 23 first-half points vs. the Auggies Saturday. … Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) was held to seven points against Augsburg Saturday, snapping a string of 19 straight games in which the SMU junior had scored in double figures. … Saturday's seven-point effort was just the second time in 22 games that Burfeind has not scored in double figures. … Burfeind — who owns the top five individual offensive outputs this season — has scored 20 or more points nine times this season. … 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 at Bethel as the team leader in scoring (18.9 ppg). He also boasts a team-best .836 free throw percentage, going 112-for-134. … Burfeind's 19.5 ppg average ranks him second in the MIAC in scoring. … Freeman enters Monday's game at Bethel also averaging in double figures at 11.6 ppg, while also leading the team with 113 rebounds (5.1 rpg), six more than Burfeind. … Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) is the team's assist leader with 72 and ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.0 ppg. … The Cardinals enter Monday's game against Bethel averaging 59.5 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. … With their 54-41 win over Macalester on Feb. 4, the Cardinals improved to 8-0 vs. the Scots under coach Todd Landrum. … 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.

Bethel Royals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
The Royals enter the final three games of the regular-season still in the hunt for one of the six MIAC playoff sports. Bethel (9-8) is currently tied with Saint John's for the final two spots, one game up on Hamline (9-9). … Saturday's 76-61 win over Hamline was Bethel's second straight and third in its last four games. … Since dropping four straight in early January — including a 51-49 loss at Saint Mary's — the Royals have gone 7-2 in their last nine games. … Daniel Baah scored a team-high 19 points against Hamline Saturday. He was one of three Royals in double figures against the Pipers. Kyle Zimmerman (14 points) and J.D. Robinson (12) were the other two. … Zimmerman also hauled in a team-best eight rebounds. … Saturday's effort marked the second straight game — and seventh time this season — Baah has led the team in scoring. … Taylor Hall enters Monday's game against Saint Mary's boasting a team-best 15.8 ppg scoring average. … Baah (13.1 ppg) and Zimmerman (12.1 ppg) are also averaging in double figures. … Zimmerman owns a team-best 132 rebounds (6.9), while Hall has drained a team-best 78 free throws and dished out a team-leading 42 assists. … As a team, the Royals are averaging 68.1 ppg. … The Royals have scored 70 or more points nine times, including a pair of games in which Bethel eclipsed the 90-point barrier — a 90-66 season-opening win over Crown on Nov. 15 and a 93-38 rout of Martin Luther on Dec. 10.