WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team returns home on Wednesday, as the Cardinals entertain Hamline in a 7:30 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the SMU Gym.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-6 MIAC | 2-10 Overall) vs. Hamline Pipers (3-5 MIAC | 6-7 Overall)

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Last Action:
SMU put three players in double figures — including a pair of career-high performances from Ronnie Ortiz (Dayton, Ohio) and Trent Vix (Rushford, Minn.) — but it was not enough, as Carleton used a 22-9 second half run to pull away in handing the Cardinals a 77-61 MIAC setback at West Gym Monday in Northfield, Minn. … The Pipers have been off since last Saturday, when Bethel handed HU a 72-60 conference setback at Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn.… The Pipers have been off since last Saturday, when Bethel handed HU a 72-60 conference setback at Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn.

SMU vs. Hamline — A Year Ago:
December 3, 2012: SMU matched Hamline nearly basket-for-basket over the game's final 20 minutes. Over the game's opening 20 minutes, however, the Cardinals could not keep pace with the Pipers, as Hamline scored the game's first nine points and never looked back in handing SMU an 82-58 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn.
January 21, 2013: Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) eclipsed the 20-point barrier for the second straight game — finishing with a game-high 23 points — and added 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Swiggum's effort — not to mention a 22-point showing from Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) and a 17-point performance by Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) — was not quite enough, however, as the Cardinals could not overcome a 14-point halftime deficit in falling to Hamline 94-78 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals return to their home court on Saturday, as SMU plays host to Gustavus in a 3 p.m. conference contest at the SMU Gym. … Hamline is back in action on Saturday, as the Pipers entertain St. Olaf in a 3 p.m. MIAC game at Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Wednesday's game against Hamline is the first of back-to-back home games for the Cardinals. … Ronnie Ortiz (Dayton, Ohio) and Trent Vix (Rushford, Minn.) each enjoyed career nights against Carleton Monday. Ortiz tossed in a team-high 18 points, while Vix chipped in 13 — both efforts were career highs. … With Ortiz's team-leading 18 points, the Cardinals have now had a different leading scorer in each of their last four games — Bakari Collins (Kenosha, Wis.), Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) and Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) are the other three. Collins netted a team-best 11 points vs. St. Thomas last Saturday, while Ferron tossed in a game-high 17 points — one shy of his career-best 18-opint effort against Bethel on Dec. 4 ¬— at Concordia on Jan. 4, and Pederson knocked down his first seven field goals in scoring a game-, season- and career-high 29 points against Macalester on Jan. 2. … Pederson's 29-point effort vs. Macalester was the highest single-game performance since Michael Burfeind scored 38 points against Concordia on Dec. 7, 2011. … Pederson has now scored 20 or more points twice this season, having netted 21 points against Saint John's on Dec. 7. … Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.), who also scored in double figures against Carleton Monday with 11 points, recorded his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 13 rebounds against Macalester on Jan. 2. … Swiggum has accounted for three of SMU's four double-doubles this season and owns six double-doubles over his two-year collegiate career. …  Ferron accounted for SMU's other double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds vs. Crown on Nov. 23. … Swiggum equaled his career high with 14 rebounds against Bethany Lutheran on Dec. 11. … Swiggum enters Wednesday's game against Hamline owning a team-best 11.3 ppg scoring average, while also leading the team with 96 rebounds (8.0 rpg). … Swiggum's 8.0 rpg ranks fourth in the MIAC. … Pederson leads the team with 56 assists. … Pederson 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 56 3-pointers — including a season-high 10 against Carleton on Monday. … Vix has netted a team-best 17 3-pointers, followed by Pederson (9), Swiggum (8) and Ferron (7). … Both of SMU's wins this season have come on their home court. … SMU's 67-51 win over Macalester on Jan. 2 was Jamison Rusthoven's first MIAC win as SMU's head coach. Rusthoven earned his first collegiate head coaching victory on Nov. 23, when the Cardinals dropped Crown 86-81 in overtime. … SMU's 86-81 win against Crown was the Cardinals' 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 Hamline Pipers:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
The Pipers suffered their second straight loss with last Saturday's 72-60 setback to Bethel. … Wednesday's game at Saint Mary's is the second straight road game for the Pipers, who are 2-4 away from home this season. … Hamline boasted three players in double figures against Bethel Saturday, led by Bennett Cooper and Dior Ford with 15 points each. … Austin Johnson recorded his third double-double of the season vs. the Royals Saturday, netting 13 points and adding a team-best 10 rebounds. … Ford enters Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's averaging a team-high 17.8 ppg — ranking him No. 2 in the MIAC — while Johnson is also averaging in double figures at 12.6 ppg.  … Ford owns the team's top three individual scoring performances — netting 25 points against both Gustavus and Augsburg, while pouring in a season-high 38 against Otterbein on Dec. 29. … Johnson has hauled in a team-leading 90 rebounds (6.9 rpg) and has led the team in rebounding in 10 of the Pipers' 13 games — including the last eight straight. … Marshall Jestings owns a team-best 79 assists. … Hamline has drained 86 3-pointers this season, led by Zachery Moll with 26 and Ford with 23. … Moll is fourth in the MIAC in 3-point FG percentage, shooting 49 percent from behind the 3-point line (26-for-53). … As a team, Hamline is scoring at a 70.2 ppg clip, while the Pipers' opponents are averaging 72.3 ppg. … The Pipers have scored 80 or more points in a game twice, including a season-high 104-point effort in a 104-99 win over Otterbein on Dec. 29. … The Pipers have been outscored 462-418 in the first half, but HU has outscored its opponents 478-466 over the game's final 20 minutes.