WINONA, Minn.  — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain Concordia in a 3 p.m. contest at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-13 MIAC | 4-15 Overall) vs. Concordia Cobbers (7-6 MIAC | 11-7 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: Saint Mary's got 15 points from Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.), and the Cardinals gave league-leading and second-ranked St. Thomas all it could handle in the first half of their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game Wednesday. Over the final 20 minutes, however, the Tommies wore the Cardinals down, holding a 37-21 in the second half in handing Saint Mary's a 79-57 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Concordia: The Cobbers scored on their last six possessions and cruised to a 63-52 conference win over Macalester last Saturday at Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia—Earlier This Year:
• January 3, 2015: Concordia built a four-point, 33-29, halftime advantage and held off the hard-charging Cardinals down the stretch in dealing Saint Mary's a 71-63 conference loss at Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia—A Year Ago:
• January 4, 2014: The Cardinals—coming off a 67-51 MIAC win over Macalester—matched Concordia blow-for-blow over the game's opening 20 minutes, but the Cobbers delivered the knock-out punch with a 20-6 run to open the second half, as CC handed Saint Mary's a 68-47 conference setback at Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn. | Recap
• February 1, 2014: Saint Mary's boasted three starters who scored in double figures—including a career-high 19 points from Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.)—in their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Concordia.  Unfortunately, the Cobbers answered with all five of their starters scoring in double digits—not to mention a finishing kick that was tough to match—as Concordia used a game-ending 26-15 run over the final eight minutes to turn a two-point game into an 83-70 Cobber victory at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
•  Saint Mary's: The Cardinals hit the road on Monday, traveling to Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference showdown against St. Olaf.
• Concordia: The Cobbers head to Arden Hills, Minn., on Monday, as Concordia squares off against Bethel in a 7 p.m. MIAC game at the Royals' Robertson Center.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
Saturday's game against Concordia is the second of back-to-back home games for the Cardinals. … Last Monday's 57-45 win over Illinois Institute of Technology was the final nonconference game of the season for the Cardinals. … With their 57-45 win over Illinois Tech, the Cardinals have now won back-to-back Monday games—Saint Mary's also beat Martin Luther 83-73 on Jan. 26. … Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.)—who scored a career-high 20 points against the Scarlet Hawks on Monday—led the team for the second straight night on Wednesday, scoring 15 points in the Cardinals' loss to league-leading and second-ranked St. Thomas. … Schumacher's 20-point performance against Illinois Tech on Monday was one better than his previous career high 19 points, which he accomplished twice during the 2012-13 season. … Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) equaled his career high with 24 points against Martin Luther on Jan. 26, while Connor Kaiser (Rockland, Wis.) chipped in a 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 now owns six games of 20 or more points in his three years as a Cardinal. … Saint Mary's has four players who have scored 20 or more points this season. Joining Swiggum and Kaiser are Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.), who netted 22 points against Viterbo on Dec. 20, and Ronnie Ortiz (Dayton, Ohio), who poured in 21 vs. North Park on Dec. 30. … Saint Mary's boasts five players who have recorded career-high games of 10 or more points this season—Ferron (22), Kaiser (22), Ortiz (21), Nick Ogren (Stillwater, Minn. / 15), Jake Rhyner (Apple Valley, Minn. / 11), and Zach Hinrichs (Lake City, Minn.). … 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. … Swiggum's 11 boards vs. the Scots were a season high—and 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 61.5 ppg, has netted 70 or more points in a game six times. … 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. … Ferron missed out on his second collegiate double-double by one assist vs. Crown, finishing with a career-high nine helpers. … Swiggum enter Saturday's conference showdown vs. Concordia averaging a team-leading 10.8 ppg. … Swiggum also owns a team-best 115 rebounds (6.1 rpg). … Saint Mary's has netted 111 3-pointers this season—including a season-high 10 vs. North Park on Dec. 30. … Ogren—who notched a career-high four 3-pointers against Carleton on Jan. 19—has tossed in a team-best 27 3-pointers and is one of five Cardinals with 10 or more treys this season. … Ogren has made at least one 3-pointer in eight of the team's last nine games and in 16 of the Cardinals' 19 contests.
 
Scouting The Concordia Cobbers:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
After five straight home games, Saturday's matchup is the first of back-to-back road games for the Cobbers. … With last Saturday's victory over Macalester, the Cobbers have now won three of their last four games, the lone exception a 73-68 loss vs. Saint John's on Jan. 28. … Four of the Cobbers' five starters scored in double figures against Macalester last Saturday, led by Ryan Rude and Tom Fraase with 13 points each. Jordan Bolger and Brandon Giese each chipped in 10 points. … Jordan Bolger, who has led the team in scoring eight times this season—including three of the Cobbers' last four games—enters Saturday's matchup at Saint Mary's owning a team-best 14.9 ppg scoring average. … Bolger has scored 20 or more points four times this season—including a season-high 24 points against Hamline on Jan. 24 and Saint John's four days later. … Giese is also averaging in double figures at 11.6 ppg. … Bolger also boasts a team-high 140 rebounds (7.8 rpg), while Giese and Rude are the team's assist leaders with 49 and 46 helpers, respectively, and also share the team lead in steals with 23 each. … Concordia has drained 104 3-pointers through 18 games this season, led by Giese with 37. … Giese has knocked down four or more 3-pointers in a game five times—including a season-high five against UM-Morris on Nov. 15. … As a team, the Cobbers, who are averaging 64.8 ppg, have eclipsed the 80-point barrier four times this season. CC scored 80 points vs. Bethel on Jan. 7, 82 against Crown on Nov. 29, 84 vs. Simpson on Nov. 28 and a season-high 86 against Crown on Dec. 31. … Six of Concordia's 11 wins have come on their home court—the Cobbers' are 5-4 away from Memorial Auditorium. … CC holds a 562-539 scoring in edge in the first half, while outscoring its opponents 604-576 after halftime.