NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team entered Skoglund Center looking for a little more Monday magic—only to have St. Olaf spoil the trick.
 
The Cardinals—coming off back-to-back wins over Martin Luther and Illinois Institute of Technology on the previous two Mondays—could not pull a third Monday victory out of their hat, as the 15th-ranked Oles built a commanding 36-21 halftime advantage in handing Saint Mary's a 68-40 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback.
 
The Cardinals got things off on the right foot against the Oles, jumping out to a 10-6 lead through the game's opening six minutes.
 
From there, however, the Oles took control, scoring five straight points to take the lead for good, 11-10, with just over 11:20 remaining in the opening half. And in those final 11 minutes, the Oles would outscore Saint Mary's 25-11 to take a 15-point, 36-21, advantage into the locker room at the break.
 
 St. Olaf opened the second half with a 3-point bomb by Sam Daly—part of a half-opening 12-4 run—and the Oles never looked back, outscoring Saint Mary's 32-19 in the second half en route to their fifth straight win.
 
Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) scored 14 points to lead the way for the Cardinals—who shot 38 percent from the field (18-for-47)—while Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) equaled his season-high with 11 rebounds.
 
St. Olaf (13-3 MIAC, 18-3 overall) got a team-high 13 points from Sterling Nielsen, while 12 of the 13 Oles who saw playing time chipped in at least two points. The Oles, who shot 43 percent from the field (28-for-65), also got at least one rebound from 11 different players.
 
The Cardinals return home on Wednesday, hosting Saint John's in a 7 p.m. conference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.