TACOMA, Wash. — After opening their home season with a win last Saturday, the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team is back on the road this weekend, taking part in the Pacific Lutheran Thanksgiving Classic.

The Matchups:
Friday, Nov. 29, 2013 | 10 p.m. (CST)
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-1 Overall) vs. Pacific Lutheran Lutes (2-1 Overall)
Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013 | 4 p.m. (CST)
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-1 Overall) vs. Puget Sound Loggers (2-3 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals picked up their first win of the season last Saturday, as SMU outlasted Crown 86-81 in overtime at the SMU Gym. … Pacific Lutheran has been off since Nov. 19, when the Lutes suffered its first loss of the season, dropping a 78-71 loss to Northwest (Wash.) in Kirkland, Wash. … Puget Sound dropped a heartbreaker on Saturday, as the Loggers suffered an 82-81 loss to Old Westbury in Spokane, Wash.

SMU vs. Pacific Lutheran — Their Last Meeting:
November 16, 2001: SMU got a career-high 27 points from Brett Johnson (Onalaska, Wis.), shot nearly 57 percent from the floor, pulled down 33 rebounds — and still lost. Despite an impressive offensive effort, the Cardinals came out on the short end of a 97-91 decision to Pacific Lutheran in the opening round of the Puget Sound Tip-Off Classic | Recap
SMU vs. Puget Sound — Their Last Meeting:
November 17, 2001: SMU suffered its second loss of the season, as the Cardinals dropped a 100-84 decision to host Puget Sound in the Tip-Off Classic. The Loggers, who trailed 43-42 at the half, shot a blistering 65 percent and scored 58 points in the second half to earn the come-from-behind win.

Up Next:
The Cardinals return home to kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Dec. 4, as SMU hosts Bethel in a 7:30 p.m. contest at the SMU Gym. … Pacific Lutheran does not play again until Dec. 14, when the Lutes entertain St. Martin's in an 8 p.m. (PST) game in Tacoma, Wash. … Puget Sound is back on the road on Dec. 11, as the Loggers head to Olympia, Wash., for an 8 p.m. (PST) contest against Evergreen State.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
The Cardinals' 86-81 OT win over Crown last Saturday was not only their first win of the season, but also the first win as a collegiate head coach for SMU's Jamison Rusthoven. … Last Saturday's game against Crown was the first overtime contest since Dec. 29, 2010, when the Cardinals outlasted Millikin 66-59 in double-OT. … SMU's 86 points against the Storm last Saturday were the most since netting 87 points in an 87-80 win over Macalester on Dec. 4, 2010. … The Cardinals boasted five players in double figures in their win over Crown last Saturday, led by Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) with a season-high 18 points. Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) and Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) chipped in 14 and 13 points, respectively, while Trent Vix (Rushford, Minn.) and Bakari Collins (Kenosha, Wis.) both finished with 11 points. … The offensive efforts of Ferron, Romportl, Vix and Collins were all career highs. … Ferron also recorded a season- and career-high 11 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double. … Swiggum — an MIAC All-First-Year Team selection a year ago — has now led the team in scoring in each of its two games this season, having also scored a team-high 12 points in SMU's season-opening loss to Viterbo on Nov. 20. … Swiggum's 18-point effort against Crown marked the 15th time in his collegiate career that the sophomore has scored in double figures. … Swiggum recorded a pair of 20-point performances during his freshman campaign a year ago — netting a career-high 24 points against Augsburg on Jan. 19, then following that up with a 23-point effort against Hamline two days later. … Swiggum and Ferron enter this weekend's tournament play averaging in double figures at 15.0 ppg and 11.0 ppg, respectively. … Ferron also leads the team with 14 rebounds (7.0 rpg). … Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) equaled his career-high with nine assists vs. Crown last Saturday. It was the third time in his career — and second time in two meetings with Crown — the junior has recorded nine assists. … As a team, the Cardinals have knocked down 11 3-pointers in their first two games, with Vix (4), Ferron (3) and Swiggum (3) accounting for 10 of them. … The Cardinals play three of their first four games on the road — last Saturday's game vs. Crown the lone exception — before closing out the first semester portion of their schedule with three of four games on their home court.

Scouting The Pacific Lutheran Lutes:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Friday's game against Saint Mary's is the home-opener for the Lutes, who kicked off the season with three straight road contests. … The Lutes' 78-71 loss to Northwest (Wash.) on Nov. 19 snapped Pacific Lutheran's season-opening two-game winning streak. … Pacific Lutheran has scored 70 or more points in two of its three games, while netting 67 in the other contest. … The Lutes entered the season looking for a replacement for graduated leading scorer and rebounder Cameron Schilling (15.3 ppg and 7.7 rpg). … Arvid Isaksen and Terrell Williams enter tournament play as the Lutes' leading scorers, averaging 11.7 ppg and 10.0 ppg, respectively. … Pacific Lutheran has boasted three different leading scorers in their first three games — Isaksen against Schreiner (15 points), Daniel Landram against Trinity (12 points) and Williams against Northwest (15 points). … Isaksen has also led the team in rebounding in all three games, heading into Friday's game vs. SMU with a team-best 24 boards (8.0 rpg). … The Lutes have knocked down 23 3-pointers this season — led by Brandon Lester and Erik Swartout with five each — and are shooting 42 percent from behind the arc. … Pacific Lutheran has outscored its opponents 214-202 — including 99-90 in the first half. … Coming off an 8-17 record last season, the Lutes were picked to finish seventh in the Northwest Conference preseason coaches' poll.

Scouting The Puget Sound Loggers:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
After three straight home games to kick off the season, the Loggers are in the midst of a five-game road swing. … After opening the season with back-to-back wins, the Loggers have dropped three straight — including a two-point, overtime loss to Colorado College, and a one-point setback at the hands of Old Westbury. … Puget Sound's loss to Old Westbury last Saturday included 11 ties and 20 lead changes. … Rex Nelson and A.J. Maw head into this weekend's tournament play as the team's offensive leaders, averaging 18.4 ppg and 17.0 ppg, respectively. … Nelson scored a season-high 25 points against Colorado College last Friday, while Maw netted a season-best 19 points against Old Westbury a day later. … The Loggers have drained 34 3-pointers in their first five games, led by Keith Shattuck with 11 and Dan Cheledinas with 10. … Puget Sound is averaging 73.2 ppg, having scored 70 or more points in three of their five games this season. … The Loggers' 90 points in their 92-90 overtime loss to Colorado College were a season high.