WINONA, Minn.  — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team steps out of conference play on Monday, as the Cardinals host Martin Luther in a 7 p.m. nonconference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-12 Overall) vs. Martin Luther Knights (2-13 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals, fueled by a four-point halftime advantage and an 8-2 run to open the second half, boasted a commanding 41-31 cushion with 17 minutes remaining in regulation Saturday against Augsburg. The Auggies, however, shifted that momentum, using an 18-6 burst to take their first lead of the game, 49-47—a lead Augsburg would not relinquish in handing the Cardinals a 73-58 MIAC setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Martin Luther: North Central outscored the Knights 46-25 in the second half, breaking a 35-35 halftime deadlock and handing Martin Luther an 81-60 setback Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Martin Luther—Their Last Meeting:
• Today's nonconference game between the Cardinals and the Knights is the first in program history.
 
Up Next:
•  Saint Mary's: The Cardinals hit the road on Wednesday, heading to Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown against Hamline.
• Martin Luther: The Knights finally return home for the first of five straight home games on Friday, hosting St. Scholastica in a 7:30 p.m. contest in New Ulm, Minn.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
The Cardinals' game against Martin Luther is the first of back-to-back Monday nonconference games for Saint Mary's, who travel to Chicago, Ill., for a showdown with Illinois Institute of Technology next Monday. … Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) led three Cardinals in double figures in Saturday's loss to Augsburg, scoring a team-best 14 points. … Connor Kaiser (Rockland, Wis.) finished with 13 points vs. the Auggies, while Mark Schumacher chipped in 12. … Kaiser's 13 points vs. the Auggies were a career-high. … Nick Ogren (Stillwater, Minn.) knocked down a career-high four 3-pointers en route to his team-high 12 points against Carleton last Monday. … Swiggum recorded his first double-double of the season—and eighth of his collegiate career—with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Macalester on Jan. 17. … Swiggum's 11 boards vs. the Scots were a season high—and three shy of his collegiate best. … Swiggum has led the team in scoring in three of its last four games. … Swiggum's 22-point effort against Saint John's on Jan. 14 marked the second time this season he has scored 20 or more points—the junior netted a season-best 23 points against Crown on Jan. 5. … Swiggum owns five games of 20 or more points in his three years as a Cardinal, including a career-best 24-point effort against Augsburg on Jan. 19, 2013. … Swiggum's 22-point showing vs. Saint John's marked the fourth time this season a Cardinal has eclipsed the 20-point barrier in a game—Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) netted 22 points against Viterbo on Dec. 20 and Ronnie Ortiz (Dayton, Ohio) poured in 21 vs. North Park on Dec. 30. … Saint Mary's boasts five players who have recorded career-high games of 10 or more points this season—Ferron (22), Ortiz (21), Ogren (15), Kaiser (13), and Jake Rhyner (Apple Valley, Minn. / 11). … The Cardinals scored a season-high 81 points in their 81-64 nonconference win over Crown on Jan. 5. … Swiggum led five Cardinal players in double figures vs. Crown on Jan. 5—marking the second straight meeting with the Storm that Saint Mary's has boasted five double-figure scorers. … Ferron missed out on his second collegiate double-double by one assist vs. Crown, finishing with a career-high nine helpers. … The Cardinals head into Monday's nonconference showdown vs. Martin Luther boasting a pair of players who are averaging in double figures—Swiggum (10.6 ppg) and Ortiz (10.2 ppg), while Ferron is third on the team at 9.1 ppg. … Swiggum also owns a team-best 84 rebounds (6.0 rpg). … Saint Mary's, which drained 113 3-pointers last season, has netted 86 treys—including a season-high 10 vs. North Park on Dec. 30. … Ogren has tossed in a team-best 23 3-pointers and is one of four Cardinals with 10 or more treys this season. … Saint Mary's, which is averaging 61.1 ppg, has netted 70 or more points in a game five times. … The Cardinals' 70-67 win over Hamline on Dec. 3 snapped their eight-game losing streak vs. the Pipers, dating back to a 98-77 win on Feb. 10, 2010. … The win over Hamline was also the Cardinals' first season-opening victory since beating Crown 78-57 to kick off the 2010-11 season.
 
Scouting The Martin Luther Knights:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
Monday's game against Saint Mary's is the third straight road game for the Knights. … Saturday's loss to North Central pushed the Knights' losing streak to three straight. … Martin Luther has dropped six of its last seven contests—the lone exception a 73-56 win over Crown on Jan. 16. … Crown's 64-61 victory over Luther on Dec. 11 snapped the Knights' season-opening seven-game losing streak. … Luke Rothe netted a team-high 19 points in Martin Luther's loss to North Central on Saturday. … Rothe's effort vs. North Central was his second 19-point effort in a two-day span, having netted 19 vs. Northwestern last Friday. … The Knights have had a player score 20 or more points six times this season, five coming from Todd Brassow. Brassow has netted a season-high 26 points twice, while adding a pair of 24-point efforts and a 20-point showing. … Brassow and Rothe enter Monday's nonconference game against Saint Mary's averaging in double figures—Brassow at 17.3 ppg and Rothe at 15.1 ppg. … Andrew Nemmers has hauled in a team-high 108 rebounds (7.2 rpg), while Rothe has dished out a team-best 49 assists and Michael Paulsen is the team-leader in steals with 24. … Martin Luther has made just 50 3-pointers through 15 games, led by Rothe with 15 and Josh Lindner with 12. … The Knights, who have scored 70 or more points twice—netting 73 vs. Crown on Jan. 16 and 70 against UM-Morris on Jan. 17—are averaging 60.3 ppg. … On the flip side, Martin Luther surrendered a season-high 109 points against Central-Iowa on Dec. 6, while also allowing 99 points in a 99-69 loss to Maranatha Baptist on Nov. 22. … Martin Luther heads to the Saint Mary's Gym looking for its first road win of the season—the Knights are 2-4 at home, but 0-9 in road games.