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WINONA, Minn. — Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) and Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) each scored in double figures, as the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team gave Gustavus all it could handle for the first 28 minutes Wednesday evening at the SMU Gym.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, those final 12 minutes proved disastrous, as Gustavus scored 32 of the game's final 43 points to pull away for a 75-56 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory.

Burfeind finished as the team's leading scorer for the fourth straight game, as the senior netted a team-best 13 points, while Pederson chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Jim Hill drained a jumper on Gustavus' first possession, and the Gusties had the upper hand for the game's opening 20 minutes, building leads as big as 11 on two separate occasions, before settling for an eight-point, 34-26, advantage at the break.

The Cardinals found their rhythm early in the second half, using a 19-9 run — including clutch 3-pointers by Josh Bennett (North St. Paul, Minn.) and Pederson — to take their first lead of the game, 45-43, with 11:52 remaining in regulation.

Those final 12 minutes, however, were all Gustavus, as the Gusties used a seven-minute, 23-4 run to take a 66-49 advantage, before closing out the game by scoring nine of the final 15 points to seal the victory.

As a team, the Cardinals shot 46 percent from the field (19-for-41) and were 13 of 17 from the free throw line. Gustavus — which got 17 points from Ben Biewen and 15 from Hill — knocked down 32 of 55 field goals (58 percent) — including six 3-pointers — and did not miss a free throw, going 5-for-5.

SMU returns to action on Saturday, traveling to Northfield, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference game against Carleton.