Box Score  | Photo Gallery | GameDay Preview

WINONA, Minn. — Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) wasn't leaving any doubt Sunday afternoon.

The Saint Mary's University senior headed into Sunday's game against Concordia needing 14 points to become the 25th player in SMU men's basketball history to reach 1,000 career points.

With 2:20 remaining in the first half, Burfeind promptly drained a pair of free throws — his 13th and 14th points of the afternoon — to reach the milestone.

But he wasn't finished — in fact he was just getting warmed up.

Burfeind scored 19 first-half points — going 7-for-11 from the field with a 3-pointer, while adding a 4-for-5 showing from the free throw line — and finished with a game-high 24, the seventh time this season the Cardinal senior has netted 20 or more points.

Unfortunately, the Cobbers rained on Burfeind's milestone parade, as Concordia used an 11-4 run over the game's final four minutes to hand SMU a 61-60 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the SMU Gym.

The Cardinals did not trail in the first half, as Burfeind scored six of the team's first eight points in leading SMU to leads as big as nine — twice — before settling for a five-point, 33-25 advantage at the intermission.

The Cobbers, who entered Sunday's game have drained a season-high 13 3-pointers in their 85-52 win over Macalester on Saturday, missed their first 13 3-point attempts against the Cardinals — going 0-for-9 in the first half and 0-for-3 to start the second.

Fueled in part by Concordia's frigid shooting from the outside, SMU built its lead to 11 twice in the second half, the last a 47-36 edge with 11:54 remaining. Concordia answered with four straight free throws to make it a 47-40 Cardinal lead, and, after a Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) bucket pushed the lead to 49-40, the Cobbers rattled off 10 straight points — including their first two 3-pointers of the game on back-to-back possessions — to take their first lead of the game, 50-49, with 6:19 on the clock.

The Cardinals rebuilt their advantage to six points, 56-50, with a seven-point run of their own, but the Cobbers answered, capping a 9-2 burst with a Brandon Fisher 3-pointer and a pair of free throws from Andrew Martinson to take the lead for good, 59-58.

Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) got the Cardinals to within one, 61-60 with a pair of free throws with seven seconds remaining, and a Burfeind defensive rebound off a Aaron Lindahl missed free throw gave SMU hope, but the Cardinals could not get off the game-winning shot.

Along with Burfeind's game-high 24 points, the Cardinals also got 17 points and seven rebounds from Schumacher, while Pederson finished with eight points, five assists, three steals and four rebounds.

Ebo Nana-Kweson scored 15 points and Martinson added 12 for the Cobbers, who held onto the No. 2 spot in the MIAC standing in improving to 12-5 in conference play and 15-7 overall.

The Cardinals are back in action on Wednesday, when they host Macalester in a 7:30 p.m. conference game at the SMU Gym.