ST. PETER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team kicks off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as the Cardinals travel to Gustavus' Gus Young Court for a 7 p.m. showdown against the Gusties.
The Matchup:• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0 MIAC | 2-1 Overall) at Gustavus Gusties (0-0 MIAC | 2-1 Overall)
GameDay Live On The Web:•
Live Stats *
Live Video Last Action:• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals suffered their first regular-season loss of the season last Sunday, falling to St. Scholastica 85-68 in a nonconference matchup in Duluth, Minn. |
Recap• Gustavus: Gustavus used a 17-2 run to open the second half and never looked back in handing Buena Vista a 97-90 nonconference setback Sunday afternoon at Gus Young Court in St, Peter, Minn. |
Recap Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus—A Year Ago:• January 10, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's got a bit defensive against Gustavus in the first half of its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game—holding the Gusties to just 32 first-half points. Unfortunately, the Gusties turned the tables in the second half, limiting the Cardinals to just 23 points over the game's final 20 minutes in handing Saint Mary's a 67-47 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym |
Recap• February 14, 2015 * St. Peter, Minn.: Saint Mary's got double-figure scoring from both
Ronnie Ortiz (Dayton, Ohio) and
Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.), but a cold-shooting first half allowed the Gusties to race out to a 36-15 halftime advantage—a hole the Cardinals just could not dig out of in falling to Gustavus 70-51 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Gus Young Court |
Recap Up Next:• Saint Mary's: After five straight road games, the Cardinals finally return to the Saint Mary's Gym on Saturday, hosting Macalester in a 1 p.m. MIAC contest.
• Gustavus: The Gusties hit the road on Saturday, traveling to Augsburg's Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, for a 1 p.m. conference showdown with the Auggies.
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:2015-16 Roster |
2015-16 Statistics |
2015-16 Schedule• The Cardinals' game at Gustavus on Wednesday is their fifth straight road game. Saint Mary's will finally return home on Saturday, hosting Macalester in a 1 p.m. MIAC contest. … Saint Mary's 85-68 loss to St. Scholastica snapped the Cardinals' season-opening two-game winning streak. … The Cardinals boasted three players in double figures in last Sunday's loss to St. Scholastica—
Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) scored a team- and season-high 12 points, while
Connor Kaiser (Rockland, Wis.) and
Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively. … Kaiser has now scored in double figures in each of the Cardinals' first three games—including a career-tying 22-point effort against Martin Luther on Nov. 24. … Kaiser's 22-point showing vs. the Knights on Nov. 24 marked the second time in as many meetings with Martin Luther that the Cardinal senior has scored a career-best 22 points. … Swiggum scored 10 points and hauled in a career-high 16 rebounds against Martin Luther on Nov. 24 for his first double-double of the season and ninth of his collegiate career. … Swiggum has now hauled in 33 rebounds in the Cardinals' first three games (11.0 rpg)—including 13 against Crossroads on Nov. 13 and 16 vs. Martin Luther. … Kaiser and Quashingm Smith-Pug (St. Paul, Minn.) head into Wednesday's game against Gustavus averaging in double figures at 15.7 ppg and 11.3 ppg, respectively. … 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- and career-high 15-point effort in the Cardinals' 83-66 season-opening win over Crossroads College on Nov. 13. … The Cardinals boasted a season-high 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 team-leading 12-point performance against St. Scholastica, Ferron became the third different player to lead the team in scoring in the Cardinals' first three games. … Swiggum, who is averaging 9.3 ppg, 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 scored 80 or more points in two of their first three 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 Gustavus Gusties:2015-16 Roster |
2015-16 Statistics |
2015-16 Schedule• Wednesday's conference-opener against Saint Mary's is the third straight home game for the Gusties, who will play their next five contests away from Gus Young Court—beginning Saturday at Augsburg. … GAC's 90-point outburst against the Beavers was a season high. The Gusties had scored 73 and 71 points, respectively, in their first two contests this season. … Gustavus put five players in double figures against BVU last Sunday, led by Gary Cooper with a game-high 20 points. Chad Poppen (14), Peter Kruize (13), Rile Sharbono (12), and Brody Ziegler (12) also netted 10 or more points against the Beavers. … Cooper has now led the team in scoring in each of their last two games, having also netted 15 points in the Gusties' 71-62 win over Simpson on Nov. 21. … Gustavus, which is averaging 80.0 ppg through its first three games, heads into Wednesday's showdown against Saint Mary's boasting three players—Cooper (12.3 ppg), Ziegler (12.3 ppg), and Sharbono (11.0 ppg)—averaging in double figures. … Ziegler has hauled in a team-leading 25 rebounds (8.3 rpg), while Chris Narum owns a team-best 14 assists, four more than Cooper. … As a team, GAC has knocked down 23 3-pointers, led by Sharbono with seven, and Poppen and Narum with five each. … Gustavus has outscored its first three opponents 241-227—including a 133-115 advantage after halftime.
