ST. PETER, Minn.  — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team takes to the court Saturday, traveling to Gustavus for a 3 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against the Gusties at Gus Young Court.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-16 MIAC | 4-18 Overall) at Gustavus Gusties (8-7 MIAC | 12-9 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: Connor Kaiser (Rockland, Wis.) was red-hot for Saint Mary's Wednesday night, as the Cardinal freshman poured in a team-best 19 points. 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 | Recap
• Gustavus: After building a lead as large as seven in the first half, the Gusties could not seal the deal in a 58-51 conference loss to Concordia Wednesday at Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus—Earlier This Year:
• January 10, 2015: Saint Mary's got a bit defensive against Gustavus in the first half of their 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
 
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 are back on the road next Wednesday, heading to Northfield, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference game against Carleton.
• Gustavus:  The Gusties return to Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn., on Monday, entertaining Bethel in a 7 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 first of back-to-back road games for the Cardinals. … The Cardinals' loss to St. Olaf Monday snapped their two-game Monday winning streak—Saint Mary's beat Illinois Institute of Technology 57-45 last Monday, while dropping Martin Luther 83-73 the Monday prior. … Connor Kaiser (Rockland, Wis.) scored a team-high 19 points against Saint John's on Wednesday. … Kaiser was a perfect 4-for-4 from the 3-point line en route to his 19 points vs. SJU. The four 3-pointers were a single-game career high. … Kaiser is the second Cardinal to knock down four treys in a game this season—Nick Ogren (Stillwater, Minn.) drained four against on Jan. 19. … Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) chipped in 12 points against the Johnnies Wednesday. … Mark Schumacher, who scored a team-leading 14 points against nationally ranked St. Olaf on Monday, has led the team in scoring three of their last five games—including a career-high 20-point effort against Illinois Institute of Technology on Feb. 2. … Schumacher is one of six Saint Mary's players who have recorded career-high games of 10 or more points this season—Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn. / 22), Kaiser (22), Ronnie Ortiz (Dayton, Ohio / 21), Jake Rhyner (Apple Valley, Minn. / 14), and Zach Hinrichs (Lake City, Minn.) are the others. … Swiggum equaled his career high with 24 points against Martin Luther on Jan. 26, while Kaiser chipped in his career-best 22 points. … The efforts by Swiggum and Kaiser marked the first time this season Saint Mary's has boasted two players scoring 20 or more points in the same game. The last time the Cardinals had two 20-point scorers came on Jan. 21, 2013, when Swiggum netted 23 points and Evan Pederson added 22. …  Swiggum's 24-point effort vs. Martin Luther marked the third time this season he has eclipsed the 20-point barrier—the junior netted 22 points vs. Saint John's on Jan. 14 and 23 against Crown on Jan. 5. … Swiggum owns six games of 20 or more points in his three years as a Cardinal. … Saint Mary's has five players who have scored 20 or more points this season. Joining Swiggum, Kaiser and Schumacher are: Ferron, who netted 22 points against Viterbo on Dec. 20; and Ortiz, who poured in 21 vs. North Park on Dec. 30. …  Swiggum notched his first double-double of the season—and eighth of his collegiate career—with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Macalester on Jan. 17. … Ferron missed out on his second collegiate double-double by one assist vs. Crown on Jan. 5, finishing with a career-high nine helpers. … Swiggum's 11 boards vs. St. Olaf Monday and Macalester on Jan. 17 were not only a season high, but also just three shy of his collegiate best. … The Cardinals' 83 points in their 83-73 win over Martin Luther on Jan. 26 were a season high—two more than the 81 they scored in their 81-64 nonconference win over Crown on Jan. 5. … Saint Mary's, which is averaging 60.3 ppg, has netted 70 or more points in a game seven times—including both meetings with Saint John's. … 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. … Swiggum enters Saturday's conference showdown at Gustavus averaging a team-leading 10.5 ppg. … Swiggum also owns a team-best 131 rebounds (6.0 rpg). … Schumacher has also eclipsed the 100-rebound plateau this season, boasting 102 boards heading into Saturday's contest vs. the Gusties. … Saint Mary's has netted 127 3-pointers this season, including a season-high 10 treys in a game twice—vs. Saint John's Wednesday and vs. North Park on Dec. 30. … Ogren has tossed in a team-best 31 3-pointers and is one of six Cardinals with 10 or more treys this season. … Ortiz owns a team-leading 63 assists, while Swiggum has a team-high 14 steals and Schumacher boasts a team-high 16 blocks.
 
Scouting The Gustavus Gusties:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
After back-to-back road games, Gustavus kicks off a two-game homestand Saturday against Saint Mary's. … Wednesday's loss to Concordia extended the Gusties' losing streak to a season-high three straight. … With four games remaining in the regular season, Gustavus is now locked in a tie with Augsburg for the sixth and final spot in the six-team MIAC Playoff chase. … After opening the season with wins in seven of the first eight games, GAC is just 5-8 in its last 13 games. … Gary Cooper and Brody Ziegler each scored a team-high 12 points against Concordia Wednesday, while Ziegler completed his double-double with a team-best 11 rebounds—all on the defensive end. … The Gusties have now had a different leading scorer in each of their last three games. … GAC has had a player score 20 or more points in a game three times—Cooper netted a season-high 21 points vs. Saint John's on Jan. 17, while Cooper and Ziegler recorded 20-point games vs. St. Olaf and Buena Vista, respectively. … Cooper enters Saturday's game against Saint Mary's averaging a team-high 10.1 ppg. … GAC boasts seven players who are averaging between 6.7 ppg and 10.1 ppg. … Martin Feldersen owns a team-leading 115 rebounds (5.5 rpg), four more than Ziegler. … Feldersen also leads the team with 65 assists, while Cooper has a team-best 30 steals and Sergio Najera has amassed a team-high 22 blocks. … Gustavus is shooting just 31 percent from the 3-point line (60-for-192). … Chad Poppen is the Gusties' top 3-point shooter with 20. … Eight of Gustavus' 12 wins have come on the Gusties' home court—GAC is just 4-6 away from Gus Young Court.