WINONA Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team closes out the home portion of its 2011-2012 schedule on Wednesday, hosting Hamline in a 7:30 p.m. conference contest at the SMU Gym.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (5-13 MIAC | 5-18 Overall)
vs. Hamline Pipers (9-9 MIAC | 11-12 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals got 15 points from Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) and 14 from Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.), but SMU could not overcome an 11-point halftime deficit in falling to Bethel 60-46 Monday in Arden Hills, Minn. … Hamline, meanwhile, has been off since Saturday, when the Pipers' post-season playoff run hit a road block with a 76-61 loss to Bethel at Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn.

SMU vs. Hamline — Earlier This Year:
January 16, 2012: Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) scored 14 points for the second straight game and Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) chipped in 13, but the Cardinals could not overcome a 16-point halftime deficit, falling to Hamline 80-61 at HU's Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn.

SMU vs. Hamline — A Year Ago:
January 15, 2011: For 20 minutes, the Cardinals' defense smothered the high-flying Pipers, holding Hamline to just 35 first-half points, as SMU went into the break leading by seven, 42-35. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the second half was a different story, as Hamline erupted for 50 points — while holding SMU to 24 — as the Pipers rallied for an 85-68 victory at Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn.
February 5, 2011: Hamline got two free throws from All-MIAC center Carl Hipp with 12 seconds to play, to lift the Pipers to a 68-66 MIAC victory over the Cardinals at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals hit the road for their season final on Saturday, traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference game against defending national champion St. Thomas. … Hamline, meanwhile, is also on the road for its regular-season finale on Saturday, traveling across town to Macalester for a 3 p.m. game against the Scots.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Wednesday's game against Hamline is the final home game of the season for the Cardinals — and the final collegiate home game for SMU seniors Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.), Tim Kunkel (Northfield, Ill.) and Rod Goolsby (Chicago, Ill.). … Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) scored a team-high 15 points against Bethel Monday, marking the 21st time in SMU's 23 games that the junior has scored in double figures. … Burfeind, who had his streak of 19 straight games scoring in double figures snapped against Augsburg last Saturday, has led the team in scoring 17 times this season — and owns the Cardinals' top five individual offensive outputs this season. … Burfeind  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 Wednesday's game against Hamline as the team leader in scoring (18.7 ppg). He also boasts a team-best .838 free throw percentage, going 114-for-136. … Burfeind's 18.7 ppg average ranks him second in the MIAC in scoring. … Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.), who scored a game-high 19 points against Augsburg last Saturday, finished with nine points against Bethel Monday and enters Wednesday's collegiate home finale averaging 11.5 ppg. … After scoring in double figures just 11 times in his first three seasons, Freeman has scored 10 or more points 13 times this season. … Tim Kunkel (Northfield, Ill.) pulled down a career-high nine rebounds against Bethel Monday. … Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) scored 14 points against Bethel Monday. The 14-point effort was one shy of his career high and marked the third time this season Pederson has netted 14 points. … Pederson is the team's assist leader with 77, and ranks third on the squad in scoring, averaging 8.2 ppg. … The Cardinals enter Wednesday's game against Hamline averaging 58.9 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.

Hamline Pipers News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Hamline enters Wednesday's game at Saint Mary's sitting at 9-9 in conference play, tied with Saint John's for the sixth and final MIAC playoff spot. HU and SJU are both one game behind Bethel for fifth with two games remaining in the regular season. … With Saturday's 76-61 loss to Bethel, the Pipers have now lost five of their last six games. … As a team, the Pipers have scored 80 or more points in nine of their 11 wins, and 10 times overall. … Hamline has eclipsed the 90-point barrier three times, going 2-1 in those three games — beating Carleton (92-72) and Macalester (91-56), while losing to Augsburg (99-91). … Hamline is scoring at a 76.4 ppg clip, while HU's opponents are averaging 75.0 ppg. … Noah Aguirre scored a season-high 18 points in the Pipers' loss to Bethel last Saturday. … Tyler Pannell and Mike Campbell also scored in double figures vs. the Royals, with Pannell netting 14 points, while Campbell chipped in 11. … Pannell's 14 points included four 3-pointers. … Campbell collected three steals vs. Bethel, giving him 102 steals for his career, which puts him ninth on the HU all-time list. Campbell also knocked down three free throws, giving him 212 for his career, which ranks sixth all-time. … With his 18 points Saturday, Aguirre became the fifth different player to lead the team in scoring in the Pipers' last five games. … Campbell enters Wednesday's game at Saint Mary's as the team's scoring leader, averaging 13.9 ppg. Dior Ford is also averaging in double figures at 11.7 ppg. … Pannell has drained 41 of the team's 147 3-pointers this season. … Along with his team-leading scoring average, Campbell also boasts team highs in rebounds (120, 5.2 rpg), assists (57) and free throw percentage (.817, 89-for-109). … Seven of Hamline's 11 wins have come at home. The Pipers are just 4-6 away from Hutton Arena.