Box Score  | GameDay Preview

WINONA, Minn. — Brian Thomas (Bellwood, Ill.) was on a mission Wednesday evening.

Which proved to be good news for the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team — and bad news for Macalester.

Thomas, starting in place of injured guard Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.), scored the game's first basket with a driving layup on the Cardinals' first possession, and the senior guard never took his foot off the gas.

Thomas scored a career-high 14 points — including 10 during a pivotal 12-2 SMU run that fueled the Cardinals to a 58-46 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over the Scots at the SMU Gym.

The Cardinals knocked down the game's first five points — thanks to Thomas' driving layup and a 3-pointer by Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) — and clung to the lead through the game's first 14 minutes.

Macalester scored back-to-back baskets to grab their first — and only — lead of the opening half, 16-15, with 6:20 remaining in the opening half.

From there, it was all SMU, as the Cardinals went on an 11-0 run — including five straight free throws — to push their lead to 10, 26-16, before settling for an eight-point, 26-18 advantage at the break.

The Cardinals shot 42 percent from the field (9-for-21) in the first half, while adding a 7 of 10 showing from the free throw line. Macalester, meanwhile, hit on 8 of 25 field goal attempts (32 percent), including 2-for-6 from 3-point range, but went to the line just twice — missing both.

Macalester made things interesting early in the second, whittling the Cardinals' lead to two twice, and trailed by just three, 32-29, with 13:38 remaining. An 8-2 SMU burst pushed the lead back to 11, 42-31 midway through the second half, and with SMU still boasting a nine-point, 46-37 advantage, Thomas went to work — scoring six straight points and 10 of the team's 12 during its four-minute, 12-2 outburst that put the game out of reach.

As good as the Cardinals were in the first half, they were even better in the second, shooting 52 percent from the field (14-for-27), while adding a 3-for-3 showing from the free throw line.

Burfeind tallied a team-best 17 points while Thomas and Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) each chipped in 14 points. Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) dominated the boards for SMU, hauling in 14, including 12 on the defensive end.

Sam Marshall netted 14 points and Bert Yaffe tallied 11 for the Scots.

The Cardinals are back in action on Saturday, when they travel to Arden Hills, Minn., for a 3 p.m. MIAC showdown with Bethel.