WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team returns home for a busy weekend of MIAC action at the SMU Gym, beginning with a 3 p.m. conference game against Carleton on Saturday.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-12 MIAC | 3-16 Overall)
vs. Carleton Knights (7-7 MIAC | 10-9 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals got double-figure scoring from Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) and Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.), but could not overcome Gustavus' nine 3-pointers, as the Gusties pulled away for an 82-43 MIAC victory Wednesday at Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn. … Carleton, meanwhile, boasted four players in double figures, but it was not enough to get past second-ranked St. Thomas, as the Tommies dropped the Knights 74-52 Wednesday at West Gym in Northfield, Minn.

SMU vs. Carleton — Earlier This Year:
January 5, 2013: SMU boasted four players in double figures — led by Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) and Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) with 15 points each — but Carleton used a 9-4 run to open the second half and slowly pulled away in handing the Cardinals an 83-60 MIAC setback at West Gym in Northfield, Minn.

SMU vs. Carleton — A Year Ago:
November 30, 2011: SMU matched Carleton basket-for-basket over the game's final 20 minutes. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the first half wasn't as kind, as SMU made just 4 of 24 field goals and never recovered in falling to the Knights 93-48 in the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener in Northfield, Minn.
January 18, 2012: The Cardinals, who scored just 13 first-half points in falling to the Knights 93-48 in the team's conference opener on Nov. 30, made the most of their second time around, getting a game-high 28 points from Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) and some stellar defense down the stretch in beating Carleton 64-60 at the SMU Gym.
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Up Next:
The Cardinals are right back on their home court on Sunday, as SMU hosts Concordia in a 3 p.m. conference tilt at the SMU Gym. … Carleton, meanwhile, returns home to face cross-town rival St. Olaf in a 7:45 p.m. MIAC game at West Gym in Northfield, Minn.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
After two straight road games, the Cardinals play back-to-back home games this weekend against Carleton and Concordia. … Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) scored a team-high 13 points against Gustavus Wednesday, while Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) chipped in 10. … Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) was held to five points against the Gusties Wednesday, snapping the freshman's streak of six straight games scoring 10 or more points. … Swiggum, who has scored in double figures 10 times this season, netted a career-high 24 points against Augsburg on Jan. 19, and followed that up with a 23-point effort against Hamline two days later. The 24- and 23-point games marked the first two times in  his collegiate career that Swiggum has eclipsed the 20-point barrier. … Swiggum's 23 points and Pederson's 22 vs. Hamline on Jan. 21 marked the first time this season the Cardinals have boasted two players with 20 or more points in the same game. … Burfeind who has scored in double figures in 36 of his last 41 games and 44 times in his collegiate career, heads into Saturday's showdown with Carleton needing 22 points to become the 25th Cardinal to reach the 1,000 career-point milestone. … Among Burfeind's 44 double-figure performances have been 14 games of 20 or more points — including six this season. … Burfeind owns the team's top two scoring performances this season — netting a season-high 28 points against Bethany Lutheran on Dec. 12, and tallying 26 points against Bethel on Jan. 26. … Burfeind heads into Saturday's conference game against Carleton with a team-best 16.9 ppg scoring average. … Pederson and Swiggum are also averaging in double figures at 12.0 ppg and 10.3 ppg, respectively. … The Cardinals have posted three games this season with four double-figure scorers. … Swiggum owns a team-leading three double-doubles this season. … Swiggum, who has led the team in rebounding in 12 of the Cardinals' 19 games this season, enters Saturday's game against Carleton with a team-best 134 rebounds (7.1 rpg). … Pederson has dished out 87 assists for the season — the most since the 2001-02 season, when Lance Larson recorded 94 assists. … Pederson has recorded a career-best nine assists twice this season. … Pederson has played all 40 minutes in six games this season. … The Cardinals knocked down a season-high 30 free throws on 36 attempts vs. Hamline on Jan. 21 — including a 24-for-28 effort in the second half. … After averaging 57.8 ppg a year ago, the Cardinals are on a 61.9 ppg clip this season. … SMU's 78 points against Hamline on Jan. 21 equaled its season high — the Cardinals also scored 78 points against North Central on Nov. 17.

Scouting The Carleton Knights:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
Wednesday's loss to second-ranked St. Thomas was the Knights' second straight setback. … The 74-52 loss to St. Thomas was Carleton's first on its home court this season. The Knights are now 7-1 at West Gym. … Scott Thiesen scored a team-leading 12 points, pacing four Carleton players in double figures vs. St. Thomas Wednesday. Tom Swatzke, Taylor Hanson and Shane McSparron each chipped in 11 points vs. the Tommies. … Sawatzke scored a team high 26 points against Bethel last Saturday to become the 26th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000 career point mark. … Sawatzke's 26-point effort was one point shy of his career high and marked his 12th career 20-point game. … Theisen put together the Knights' first-ever triple-double against Concordia on Jan. 23, recording 22 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists. … Carleton enters Saturday's game at Saint Mary's boasting three players averaging in double figures, led by Sawatzke (18.6 ppg) and Sawatzke (17.4 ppg). McSparron is the other, averaging 10.9 ppg. … Theisen or Sawatzke has led the team in scoring in all of the Knights' 19 games this season. … Theisen (134, 7.1 rpg) and John Eckert (126, 6.6 rpg) have each pulled down more than 100 rebounds this year. … Theisen also boasts team-highs of 100 assists and 28 steals. … Sawatzke (55), Tyler Goetz (36) and Theisen (25) have accounted for 116 of the team's 118 3-pointers. … The Knights enter Saturday's game against Saint Mary's averaging 68.8 ppg — including a season-high 94 points against Hamline on Jan. 19. … Carleton has scored 70 or more points six times, while the Knights' opponents have eclipsed the 70-point barrier five times.