WINONA, Minn. ­ — Connor Kaiser (Rockland, Wis.) was red-hot for the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team Wednesday night, as the Cardinal freshman poured in a team-best 19 points—including a perfect 4-for-4 showing from the 3-point line and an unblemished 3-for-3 effort from the free throw line.
 
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, as good as Kaiser was, Saint John's Mitchell Kuck was even better.
 
Kuck scored a game-high 25 points—including 12 points in just six minutes in the second half—leading the Johnnies to a 94-70 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over the Cardinals at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Johnnies used a pair of big runs to head into the locker room with a 44-28 advantage at the break. SJU put together a 13-2 burst that turned a two-point Johnnie lead into a 13-point, 29-16 cushion midway through the half.
 
After the Cardinals cut the gap to eight, Saint John's scored the final eight points of the opening half—including back-to-back 3-pointers on its last two possessions—to make it a 16-point lead at the break.
 
And as good as Kuck and the Johnnies were over the game's first 20 minutes—shooting 67 percent from the field and knocking down five 3-pointers—they were equally as good in the second. SJU went 21-for-33 from the field with five more 3-pointers over the final 20 minutes in sealing its ninth win in its last 12 games.
 
Along with Kaiser's 19-point effort—just three points shy of his career high—the Cardinals also got 12 points from Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) and nine from Nick Ogren (Stillwater, Minn.).
 
As a team, Saint Mary's shot 44 percent from the field (24-for-54) and matched its season high with 10 3-pointers.
 
The Cardinals are back in action on Saturday, when they travel to St. Peter, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference game against the Gusties.
 
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