COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team takes to the road on Saturday, as the Cardinals head to Sexton Arena for a 3 p.m. conference showdown with Saint John's.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-1 MIAC | 1-4 Overall) at Saint John's Johnnies (0-0 MIAC | 2-2 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals, who fell behind by as many as 16 in the first half of Wednesday's game against Bethel, clawed their way back to within one midway through the second stanza, only to have Bethel pull away one final time in handing SMU a 69-58 MIAC setback at the SMU Gym. … The Johnnies have been off since Nov. 26, when SJU collected a convincing 88-58 nonconference win over UW-River Falls at Sexton Arena in Collegeville, Minn.

SMU vs. Saint John's — A Year Ago:
January 14, 2013: Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) and Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) each scored 10 points and Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) chipped in nine, but it was not enough, as Saint John's pulled out to a 34-16 halftime advantage and never looked back in handing the Cardinals a 63-46 MIAC setback at the SMU Gym.
February 13, 2013: SMU got off to a slow start, surrendering the game's first seven points, and the Cardinals never recovered in falling to Saint John's 77-50 in an MIAC game at Sexton Arena in Collegeville, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals return home to the SMU Gym for their final two games before the Christmas break, beginning with a 7:30 p.m. conference contest against St. Olaf on Monday. SMU will then entertain Bethany Lutheran in a 7 p.m. nonconference matchup on Wednesday. … Saint John's takes to the road on Monday, as the Johnnies head to St. Paul, Minn., for a 7:30 pm.. MIAC game against Hamline

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Saturday's game at Saint John's is the final road game before the Christmas break for the Cardinals, who play back-to-back home contests next week, before taking time out for finals and the holiday. … Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) and Bakari Collins (Kenosha, Wis.) each recorded career-highs in SMU's loss to Bethel Wednesday, as Ferron netted a team-best 18 points, while Collins chipped in 14. … Ferron's 18-point, team-leading effort against Bethel marked the first time this season Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) has not led the team in scoring. …  Swiggum hauled in a team-leading 11 rebounds against the Royals Wednesday, and missed his second double-double of the season by one point. …  The Cardinals have had a pair of double-doubles this season — Swiggum's 15-point, 10-rebound effort against Pacific Lutheran on Nov. 30 and Ferron's 14-point, 11-rebound showing against Crown on Nov. 23. … Swiggum — who has scored in double figures17 times in his collegiate career — enters Saturday's game against Saint John's boasting a team-leading 13.8 ppg scoring average, while Ferron is second at 9.8 ppg. … 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 also leads the team in rebounds with 40 (8.0 rpg). … Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.), who leads the team with 22 assists, equaled his career-high with nine assists vs. Crown on Nov. 23. 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 21 3-pointers, led by Vix (7) and Swiggum (6). … The Cardinals' 86-81 OT win over Crown on Nov. 23 was not only their first win of the season, but also the first win as a collegiate head coach for SMU's Jamison Rusthoven. … SMU'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 on Nov. 23 were the most since netting 87 points in an 87-80 win over Macalester on Dec. 4, 2010.

Scouting The Saint John's Johnnies:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the second straight home game for the Johnnies, who opened the season with three straight road contests. … Patrick Butcher scored a career-high 30 points in the Johnnies' 88-58 home-opening win over UW-River Falls on Nov. 26. … Twenty-six of Butcher's 30 points vs. the Falcons came in the second half — including 20 in the half's first nine minutes. … Nick Meyer and Jacob Peterson also scored in double figures against UW-River Falls, netting 15 and 10 points, respectively. … With his 30 points against UW-River Falls, Butcher has now led the team in scoring in two of its first four games, while Alex Schmitt has been the Johnnies' top point-getter in the other two. … The Johnnies enter Saturday's game against Saint Mary's boasting three players — Schmitt (15.5 ppg), Mitchell Kuck (15.0 ppg) and Butcher (14.3 ppg) — averaging in double figures. … As a team, the Johnnies are averaging 85.5 ppg, and have scored 70 or more points in all four games — including a season-high 93 points in a 93-83 win over St. Scholastica on Nov. 17. … SJU has poured in 34 3-pointers, led by Butcher with 13 and Schmitt with eight. … The Johnnies have outscored their opponents 159-134 in the first half. SJU and its opponents have both scored 183 points after halftime through four games. … With the 88-58 victory over UW-River Falls on Nov. 26, head coach Jim Smith improved his career record to 757-537 in 50 seasons at SJU and is now two victories behind Ed Diddle (Western Kentucky, 1923-64) for 17th on college basketball's all-divisions win list.