WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team plays its second straight home game on Monday, as the Cardinals entertain Saint John's in a 7:30 p.m. conference contest at the SMU Gym.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-7 MIAC | 2-11 Overall)
vs. Saint John's Johnnies (2-6 MIAC | 3-10 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats | Live Video | GameDay Program

Last Action:
The Cardinals picked up their first conference win of the season Saturday, getting a game-high 26 points from Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) en route to a 75-72 MIAC win at the SMU Gym. … Saint John's, meanwhile, gave up 94 points to nationally ranked St. Thomas, as the Tommies used a 23-0 first half run to cruise to a 94-63 conference win in St. Paul, Minn.

SMU vs. Saint John's — A Year Ago:
December 5, 2011: Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) and Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) each enjoyed career nights for the Cardinals against Saint John's, as Burfeind poured in a game- and career-best 26 points, while Pederson tossed in 15 points. But it was not enough, as SJU jumped out to an 11-point, 33-22, lead — the second time in as many games that SMU trailed by 11 at the break — in handing SMU a 69-58 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback in Collegeville, Minn.
January 25, 2012: Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) scored 14 points to lead a trio of Cardinals in double figures, but it was not enough, as Saint John's built a six-point halftime lead and held the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team at bay over the final 20 minutes in handing SMU a 64-50 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the SMU Gym Wednesday.

Up Next:
The Cardinals hit the road on Wednesday, heading to Northfield, Minn., for a 7:45 p.m. conference matchup with St. Olaf. … Saint John's, meanwhile, returns to Collegeville, Minn., on Wednesday, as the Johnnies host Hamline in a 7:30 p.m. MIAC showdown.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
Monday's game against Saint John's is the sixth game in 13 days for the Cardinals, who are in the midst of a stretch that will have them playing 11 games in a 25-day span. … Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) continued to carry the hot hand for the Cardinals, as the senior netted a team- and game-high 26 points against Bethel Saturday. … The 26-point effort, two points shy of his season-high 28-point performance against Bethany Lutheran on Dec. 12, marked the sixth time this season — and 14th time in his collegiate career — that Burfeind has netted 20 or more points. … After scoring all 18 of his points in the second half against Macalester last Wednesday, Burfeind scored 19 of his 26 points against Bethel after halftime. … Burfeind has led the team in scoring in nine straight games and in all 10 games that's he's played this season. … With his 26 points vs. Bethel, Burfeind moved to within 88 points of becoming the 25th Cardinal to reach the 1,000 career-point milestone. … Burfeind enters Monday's game against Saint John's having scored in double figures in all 10 games he's played this season. He's also scored 10 or more points in 32 of his last 35 games and 41 times in his four-year collegiate career. … Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) and Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) also scored in double figures vs. the Royals, finishing with 15 and 12 points, respectively. … It was the second straight 15-point effort for Pederson. … Swiggum, who recorded his second-straight nine-rebound performance vs. the Scots last Wednesday, hauled in a team-leading eight boards vs. Bethel Saturday. The freshman has now led the team in rebounding in eight of its 13 games. … Along with his 15 points, Pederson dished out a team-leading five assists vs. Bethel Saturday. … Pederson, who recorded 80 assists a year ago — the most since Brensley Haywood dished out 81 assists during the 2006-2007 season — has recorded a career-best nine assists twice this season and enters Monday's game against Saint John's boasting a team-best 64 assists through 13 games. … Burfeind heads into Monday's conference game against Saint John's owning a 20.4 ppg scoring average — first on the team and second in the MIAC. … Pederson and Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) are also averaging in double figures heading into Saturday's showdown with Bethel, netting 11.6 ppg and 11.0 ppg, respectively. … Swiggum and Schumacher have each notched their first collegiate double-double this season. Swiggum recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds against St. Olaf on Nov. 30, while Schumacher posted a 12-point, 11-rebound effort against North Central (Minn.) on Nov. 17. … Pederson logged 40 minutes against Macalester Wednesday, marking the fourth time this season the sophomore guard has played every minute of a game. … After averaging 57.8 ppg a year ago, the Cardinals are on a 64.3 ppg clip in their first 13 games this season. … The Cardinals' 75-point performance against Bethel Saturday marked the second time in their last three games that SMU has scored over 70 points. It was also three points shy of the team's season-best 78-point effort against North Central on Nov. 17.

Scouting The Saint John's Johnnies:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
Monday's game at Saint Mary's is the second straight road game for the Johnnies, who play their next three games — beginning Wednesday against Hamline — on their home court. … Saturday's loss to second-ranked St. Thomas pushed SJU's current losing streak to five straight. … The Johnnies have surrendered 70 or more points in all five games during their current slide — including a season-high 94 points to the Tommies on Saturday. … Kevin McKenzie scored a career-high 13 points to lead the Johnnies vs. UST Saturday. … Amemou Jean-Baptiste also had a career afternoon against St. Thomas, coming off the bench to score 10 points. … SJU has now had a different leading scorer in each of its last four games. … The Johnnies have boasted a 20-point scorer four times this season — including a season-high 32-point effort by Seth Marx in a 69-65 win over Gustavus on Dec. 1. … Marx enters Monday's game at Saint Mary's as the only Johnnie averaging in double figures at 10.2 ppg. … Marx also leads the team in rebounds with 75 (5.8 rpg). … As a team, the Johnnies have drained 62 3-pointers, with Marx leading the way with 24. … SJU — which has scored 70 or more points three times this season, including a season-best 89 points against Macalester on Dec. 5 — is averaging 64.9 ppg, while the Johnnies' opponents are scoring at a 73.9 ppg clip. … Three Johnnies — Marx, McKenzie and Chris Neumann — have started all 13 games this season. … Two of the Johnnies' three wins this season have come on their home court. SJU is just 1-7 on its home court.