WINONA, Minn.  — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team takes to the court Saturday, hosting Gustavus in a 3 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-5 MIAC | 2-7 Overall) vs. Gustavus Gusties (3-2 MIAC | 7-3 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: St. Olaf outscored the Cardinals 28-6 over the game's final 12 minutes in handing the Cardinals an 81-50 conference setback Wednesday at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Gustavus: The Gusties could not recover from an early first-half deficit, falling to Augsburg 66-57 Wednesday at Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus—A Year Ago:
• January 18, 2014: Saint Mary's was red-hot in the game's opening 20 minutes against Gustavus, as the Cardinals shot 54 percent from the field — knocking down 13 of 24 field goal attempts — and had the Gusties on the ropes through 20 minutes. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the Gusties came out swinging in the second half, missing just eight of their 27 second-half field goal attempts, as GAC outscored Saint Mary's 46-29 over the game's final 20 minutes to secure an 80-61 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• February 15, 2014: Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) poured in a season-high 23 points, but Saint Mary's could not overcome a 14-point, 39-25 halftime deficit in falling to Gustavus 79-59 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play at Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn. | Recap
 
Up Next:
•  Saint Mary's: The Cardinals hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to Collegeville, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference game against Saint John's.
• Gustavus:  The Gusties return to Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn., on Wednesday, entertaining Concordia in a 7:45 p.m. MIAC matchup.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
Saturday's game against Gustavus is the second straight home game for the Cardinals. … Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) scored a team-high 10 points and added a team-leading eight rebounds against St. Olaf on Wednesday. … Ferron's eight-rebound effort against the Oles matched the team's single-game high. Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) and Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) have also pulled down eight boards in a game this season. … The Cardinals scored a season-high 81 points in their 81-64 nonconference win over Crown last Monday. … Swiggum scored a season-high 23 points in the Cardinals win over Crown. It was the Cardinals' highest individual offensive output of the season and was just one point shy of Swiggum's career-high 24-point effort against Augsburg on Jan. 19, 2013. … Swiggum's 23-point effort marked the third time this season a Cardinal has eclipsed the 20-point barrier in a game—Ferron netted 22 points against Viterbo on Dec. 20 and Ronnie Ortiz (Dayton, Ohio) poured in 21 vs. North Park on Dec. 30. … Ferron's 22 points vs. Viterbo and Ortiz's 21 against North Park were career highs. …  Nick Ogren (Stillwater, Minn.) and Jake Rhyner (Apple Valley, Minn.) have also posted career-high scoring performances this season—Ogren netted 15 points against Viterbo on Dec. 20, while Rhyner scored 11 vs. Hamline on Dec. 3. … The Cardinals have now had a 20-point scorer in three of their last five games. … Swiggum led five Cardinal players in double figures vs. Crown—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. … Ortiz heads into Saturday's conference matchup with Gustavus averaging a team-high 11.8 ppg, while Swiggum (10.4 ppg) and Ferron (10.1 ppg) are also averaging in double figures. … Swiggum owns a team-best 51 rebounds (5.7 rpg), two more than Schumacher. … Saint Mary's, which drained 113 3-pointers last season, has netted 56 treys—including a season-high 10 treys vs. North Park on Dec. 30. … Ogren leads the team with 14 3-pointers, one more than Ortiz … Saint Mary's, which is averaging 62.2 ppg and has netted 70 or more points in a game four 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 Gustavus Gusties:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
Gustavus is in the midst of playing five of six games on their home court—the lone exception Saturday's contest at Saint Mary's. … Gustavus is 5-1 on its home court while going 2-2 away from Gus Young Court. … After opening the season with seven wins in their first eight games—including a season-high six-game winning streak—the Gusties have dropped back-to-back games over the past five days. … Isaac Tapp scored a team-high 17 points against Augsburg on Wednesday, knocking down 6 of 12 field goals, while Brody Ziegler also scored in double figures vs. the Auggies, finishing with 10 points. … GAC enters Saturday's game vs. Saint Mary's boasting three players who are averaging in double figures—Sergio Najera (11.4 ppg), Ziegler (10.6 ppg) and Tapp (10.6 ppg). … With his 14 points against Augsburg, Tapp became the third different player in as many games to lead the Gusties in scoring. … Gary Cooper has amassed a team-high 54 rebounds (5.4 rpg)—he is one of five Gusties with 30 or more rebounds through 10 games. … Martin Peddersen is the team-leader in assists (36) and steals (13). … GAC has knocked down 27 3-pointers this season, led by Chad Poppen with eight. … Gustavus has dominated the first half this season, outscoring its opponents 363-304. The second half, however, has belonged to the Gusties' opponents, who hold a 354-346 scoring advantage. … Gustavus is averaging 70.9 ppg—including a season-high 85-points in an 85-50 win over Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 25.