WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team is back on its home court on Monday, as the Cardinals entertain St. Olaf in a 7:30 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the SMU Gym.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-2 MIAC | 1-5 Overall) vs. St. Olaf (1-1 MIAC | 4-3 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals got off to a slow start, falling behind 9-0 in the game's opening three minutes, and never recovered in falling to Saint John's 68-57 Saturday in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Sexton Arena in Collegeville, Minn. … St. Olaf scored nine straight points late in the second half to get within one, but Augsburg hung on to escape with a 71-66 win over the visiting Oles on Saturday in Minneapolis, Minn.

SMU vs. St. Olaf — A Year Ago:
November 28, 2012: It was the first MIAC game in the collegiate careers of Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) and Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) — and the duo certainly made it a memorable one. Schumacher scored a career-high 19 points, while Swiggum recorded his first collegiate double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the Cardinals' MIAC opener against St. Olaf at the SMU Gym. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the tandem's efforts were not enough, as St. Olaf surged to a 43-26 halftime advantage and handed SMU an 80-62 setback.
January 16, 2013: Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) tossed in a team-best 17 points in the Cardinals' 66-57 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over St. Olaf in Northfield, Minn. — but the senior forward certainly didn't do it alone. The Cardinals got double-figure scoring from four different players, and it was that balanced attack — and a 23-for-29 performance from the free throw line — that fueled SMU to its second conference win in the last three games.

Up Next:
The Cardinals step out of conference play for their final game before the Christmas break, as SMU hosts Bethany Lutheran in a 7 p.m. game at the SMU Gym on Wednesday. … Monday's game vs. Saint Mary's is the last contest of the first semester for the Oles, who do not return to play until Jan. 4, when St. Olaf hosts Gustavus in a 3 p.m. game in Northfield, Minn.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Monday's game against St. Olaf is the first of two straight home games before the Christmas break for the Cardinals. … Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) tossed in a game- and season-high 21 points for the Cardinals against Saint John's on Saturday. … Pederson's effort marked the first time this season an SMU player has eclipsed the 20-point barrier and was just two points shy of his career best — a 23-point showing against North Central on Nov. 17, 2012. … Pederson was one of four SMU players to score in double figures against the Johnnies Saturday. Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.), Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) and Trent Vix (Rushford, Minn.) all chipped in 10 points. … Swiggum has scored in double figures in five of SMU's six games and 18 times in his collegiate career. … For the second straight game, Swiggum just missed recording his second double-double of the season — against Bethel on Dec. 4, Swiggum was one point short (9 points, 11 rebounds), and vs. Saint John's, the sophomore was one rebound shy (10 points, 9 rebounds). … Ferron, who scored a career-high 18 points against Bethel on Dec. 4, has now scored 10 or more points in three of SMU's six games. … 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 enters Monday's game against St. Olaf boasting a team-leading 13.2 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, who has led the team in rebound in each of its last four games and five times this season, boasts a team-best 49 rebounds (8.2 rpg). … Pederson, who leads the team with 28 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 24 3-pointers, led by Vix (9) 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 St. Olaf Oles:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Monday's game against Saint Mary's is the second straight road game for the Oles, who will play six of their first seven contests this season away from Skoglund Center. … Three of St. Olaf's first seven opponents were nationally ranked — No. 2 UW-Stevens Point (L, 88-66), No. 20 UW-Platteville (W, 68-62) and No. 24 Augustana (L, 68-59). …  Saturday's loss at Augsburg snapped the Oles' two-game winning streak. … All three of St. Olaf's losses this season have come on the road — the Oles are 2-0 on their home court. … Nathan Kuck scored a team-high 16 points against Augsburg Saturday. … The Oles have had a different leading scorer in five of its seven games. … Sterling Nielsen (14 points) and Justin Pahl (10) also scored in double figures against the Auggies Saturday. … The Oles enter Monday's game against Saint Mary's boasting two players — Connor Gunderson (13.6 ppg) and Nielsen (11.7 ppg) — averaging in double figures. … Gunderson also leads the team in rebounding with 29 (4.1 rpg). … Pahl has tossed in a team-best 12 of the Oles' 40 3-pointers. … As a team, St. Olaf is averaging 68.9 ppg, including a season-best 86 points in its season-opening 86-64 win over Bethany Lutheran.