DULUTH, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team steps out of conference play on Friday, as the Cardinals head to St. Scholastica for a 3 p.m. nonconference game against the Saints.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-0 Overall) at St. Scholastica Saints (1-2 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: Connor Kaiser (Rockland, Wis.) scored 22 points and Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) added a double-double of 10 points and 16 rebounds in leading the Cardinals to an 80-60 nonconference win over Martin Luther last Tuesday in New Ulm, Minn. | Recap
• St. Scholastica: The Saints have been off since Nov. 21, when they dropped a 78-59 nonconference decision to Saint John's during the second day of the St. Cloud State Tournament in St. Cloud, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Scholastica—Their Last Meeting:
• The Cardinals and Saints have not met since the 1981-82 season, when Saint Mary's picked up a pair of wins, beating St. Scholastica 76-66 on Nov. 21 in Duluth, Minn., and 78-69 on Dec. 5 at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, traveling to Gustavus' Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn., for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Gusties.
• St. Scholastica: The Saints return to UMAC play on Friday, traveling to New Ulm, Minn., for a 5:30 p.m. conference matchup against Martin Luther.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Sunday's showdown at St. Scholastica is the fourth of five straight road games for the Cardinals, who do not return home until Dec. 5, when they entertain Macalester in a 1 p.m. MIAC contest. … Connor Kasier (Rockland, Wis.) equaled his career high with his 22-point effort against Martin Luther last Tuesday. It was the second time in as many meetings with the Knights that Kaiser has scored a career-best 22 points. … Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) and Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) also scored in double figures vs. Martin Luther last Tuesday, netting 10 points each. … Along with his 10 points, Swiggum pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds for his first double-double of the season—and ninth of his collegiate career. … Swiggum has now hauled in 29 rebounds in the Cardinals' first two games, having posted a 13-rebound effort in Saint Mary's season-opening win over Crossroads. … Smith-Pugh knocked down 5 of 9 field goals and added a 5-for-8 showing from the free throw line en route to his game-high 15-point effort in the Cardinals' 83-66 season-opening win over Crossroads College on Nov. 13. … The Cardinals boasted four players in double figures vs. Crossroads in their season opener—Smith-Pugh (15), Kaiser (14), Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn. / 13), and Kai Endahl (Mendota Heights, Minn. / 12). … With his 13-point effort vs. Crossroads, Schumacher has scored in double figures in six of the Cardinals' last 10 regular-season contests—including a career-high 20-point effort against Illinois Institute of Technology on Feb. 2, 2015. … Kaiser heads into Sunday's game against St. Scholastica averaging 18.0 ppg, while Smith-Pugh is second at 12.5 ppg. … Swiggum, who is averaging 9.0 ppg and 14.5 rpg, owns six games of 20 or more points in his collegiate career. … Saint Mary's had five players who scored 20 or more points in a game last season. … The Cardinals have now scored 80 or more points in each of their two games this season. Saint Mary's 83 points against Crossroads in their season opener on Nov. 13 equaled the Cardinals' highest offensive output of a year ago—an 83-73 win over Martin Luther on Jan. 26. … Smith-Pugh and Kaiser led the Cardinals in scoring in their two exhibition games—Smith-Pugh scoring 12 points against NCAA Division I Nebraska-Omaha, while Kasier netted 10 against NCAA II University of Sioux Falls.
 
Scouting The St Scholastica Saints:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• After opening the season with a 74-70 win over Luther, the Saints have dropped back-to-back games—falling to Mayville State (79-62) and Saint John's (78-59). … Sunday's game against Saint Mary's is the home opener for the Saints, who went 5-5 at Reif Gym a year ago. … Saint Mary's is the second straight Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponent for St. Scholastica. … Brandon Newman came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points in the Saints' loss to Saint John's on Nov. 21. … Newman became the third different player to lead the Saints in scoring through three games—Jake Naslund netted a team-best 26 points vs. Luther, while Julius Johnson tossed in a team-leading 15 vs. Mayville State. … St. Scholastica heads into Sunday's showdown with Saint Mary's boasting three players—Naslund (14.7 ppg), Newman (13.3 ppg), and Johnson (10.7 ppg)—who are averaging in double figures. … Naslund also owns a team-high 14 rebounds—all on the defensive end—while Newman and Marc Peterson have each chipped in 12 boards. … CSS has drained 20 3-pointers through three games, led by Naslund and Peterson with five each. … Johnson has dished out a team-best 10 assists, and also leads the squad with five steals. … As a team, the Saints are averaging 65.0 ppg and are shooting 40 percent from the field (67-for-169). … St. Scholastica has been outscored 112-85 in the game's opening 20 minutes, while the Saints' opponents hold a 115-110 scoring advantage after the break.