MOORHEAD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team hits the road on Saturday, as the Cardinals travel to Concordia for a 3 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against the Cobbers at Memorial Auditorium

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-3 MIAC | 2-7 Overall) at Concordia Cobbers (1-4 MIAC | 5-5 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Action:
The Cardinals gave coach Jamison Rusthoven his first MIAC victory Thursday, as SMU got 29 points from Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) in cruising to a 67-51 win over Macalester at the SMU Gym. … Brandon Giese scored a team-high 25 points, as the Cobbers rallied from a 41-40 halftime deficit to beat Crown 88-72 Tuesday in a nonconference game in St. Bonafacius, Minn.

SMU vs. Concordia — A Year Ago:
January 7, 2013: Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) eclipsed the 20-point barrier for the fourth time in the last six games, but the Cardinals did not have an answer for Concordia's red-hot shooting from behind the arc, as the Cobbers drained nine 3-pointers — including eight in the first half — en route to a 93-72 MIAC victory at Memorial Auditorium.
February 3, 2013: Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) scored 19 first-half points — including the 1,000th point of his collegiate career — 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 conference setback at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are back on the road on Monday, heading to Northfield, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Carleton. … Concordia

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Saturday's game at Concordia is the first of back-to-back road games for the Cardinals, who are coming off a three-game homestand. … SMU's 67-51 win over Macalester last Thursday 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. … Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.), who knocked down his first seven field goals — including five 3-pointers — scored a game-, season- and career-high 29 points against Macalester last Thursday. … Pederson's 29-point effort 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.) recorded his second straight double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds against Macalester Thursday. … Swiggum has now tallied three of SMU's four double-doubles this season and owns six double-doubles over his two-year collegiate career. … Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) 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 Saturday's game against Concordia owning a team-best 12.3 ppg scoring average, while also leading the team with 82 rebounds (9.1 rpg). … Swiggum ranks third in the MIAC in rebounding. … Pederson, who also enters Saturday's showdown with Concordia averaging in double figures (11.2 ppg), leads the team with 43 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 37 3-pointers, led by Trent Vix (Rushford, Minn. / 10) and Pederson (8). … 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 Concordia Cobbers:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
With Tuesday's win over Crown — CC's final nonconference game of the season — the Cobbers head into Saturday's showdown with Saint Mary's having won two of their last three games. … The Cobbers finished 4-1 in nonconference play. … CC's 88 points against the Storm Tuesday were a season high and marked the third time this season the Cobbers have netted 80 or more points. Concordia netted 84 points in an 84-62 win over UW-Superior on Dec. 1 and 82 points in an 81-55 victory over St. Scholastica on Nov. 30. … Brandon Giese scored a career-high 25 points — including 17 in the first half — against Crown last Tuesday. … Giese's 25-point effort equaled CC's single-game season-high. … Jordan Bolger chipped in 22 points against the Storm, giving the Cobbers a pair of 20-point scorers for the first time this season. … Concordia heads into Saturday's game against Saint Mary's boasting a pair of players averaging in double figures — Bolger (13.2 ppg) and Giese (13.1 ppg). … Bolger also leads the team in rebounding with 77 (7.7 rpg), while Giese owns a team-leading 34 assists. … The Cobbers have knocked down 65 3-pointers this season, led by Giese (24), Tom Fraase (15) and Brett Bergeson (12). … Concordia has outscored its opponents 716-689 — including 359-337 in the second half.