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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) scored a team-high 18 points, but the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team could not cool Augsburg's red-hot shooting, as the Auggies handed the Cardinals a 97-60 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback Monday evening at Si Melby Hall.

The Auggies, who entered Monday's game shooting 50 percent or better from the field in seven consecutive games, made it eight straight Monday, draining 39 of 61 field goals (64 percent) — including five 3-pointers — while also going 14-for-17 from the free throw line.

Swiggum hit on 5 of 9 field goals, including two of the Cardinals' four 3-pointers, and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line en route to his team-best 18 points. Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) scored in double figures for the third straight game — and seventh time this season — with 14 points against the Auggies, while Ferron chipped in 10 points.

Noah Veach and Dan Kornbaum each tossed in a game-high 25 points for the Auggies, who have now scored 80 or more points six times this season. Augsburg, winners of six straight, also got 19 points from Andy Seidlitz.

Neither team had the upper hand early, with Augsburg clinging to a three-point, 22-19 advantage following a Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) basket with 10:04 remaining.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, by the time Bakari Collins (Kenosha, Wis.) netted SMU's next point six minutes later — draining a free throw with 4:34 on the clock — the Auggies had rattled off 12 unanswered points for a 14-point, 34-20 advantage.

Leading 43-29 at the break, the Auggies would use two more lengthy runs — a 10-0 burst that gave Augsburg a 68-46 advantage and an 18-2 run that pushed the lead to 95-57 — to put the game out of reach.

The Cardinals are back in action on Wednesday, when they travel to Arden Hills, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. conference game against Bethel.