WINONA, Minn. — After three straight road games, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team returns home on Wednesday, hosting Concordia in a 5:45 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-5 MIAC | 4-7 Overall) vs. Concordia Cobbers (4-4 MIAC | 7-6 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: Bethel outscored the Cardinals 38-31 in the second half in handing Saint Mary's a 79-70 conference loss Wednesday at the Royals' Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn. | Recap
• Concordia: The Cobbers raced out to a 40-23 lead after the game's opening 20 minutes and never looked back in cruising to an 81-66 MIAC win over Hamline Wednesday at Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia—A Year Ago:
• January 3, 2015 * Moorhead, Minn.: It was a game of the hunter and the hunted when Saint Mary's squared off against Concordia at Memorial Auditorium. Early on in the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest, the Cardinals assumed the role of the hunted and the Cobbers were the hunters. When the roles were reversed midway through the half, however, the Cobbers took off—and no matter how hard they tried, Saint Mary's could not hunt them down—as Concordia held off the hard-charging Cardinals 71-63 | Recap
• February 7, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's got a career-high 14 points from Jake Rhyner (Apple Valley, Minn.), but the Cardinals could not cool off Concordia from behind the 3-point line, as the Cobbers pulled away in handing Saint Mary's a 74-49 conference setback Saturday at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are right back on their home court on Saturday, entertaining St. Thomas in a 1 p.m. conference matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• Concordia: The Cobbers hit the road again on Saturday, heading to Macalester's Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn., for a 1 p.m. MIAC battle with the Scots.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• After three straight road games, Wednesday's game against Concordia is the first of back-to-back home contests for the Cardinals, who are 3-2 on their home court this season. … Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) scored a season-high 21 points to lead three Cardinals in double figures against Bethel Monday. Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) and Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) also finished in double figures vs. the Royals, scoring 13 and 11 points, respectively. … Swiggum now owns seven games of 20 or more points in his collegiate career. … Swiggum's 21-point effort against Bethel marked the third straight game—and sixth time this season—the Cardinals have had a player score 20 or more points in a game. … Connor Kaiser (Rockland, Wis.) has recorded three of the team's six 20-point performances this season. Swiggum, Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn. / 22) and Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn. / 20) have accounted for the other three. … Ferron's 22-point effort against St. Olaf last Saturday and Gleason's 20-point showing against Augsburg on Dec. 9 were both career highs. … After equaling his career-high with 22 points in the Cardinals' 85-80 loss to St. Olaf last Saturday, Ferron matched his career best with 11 rebounds against Bethel Monday. … Braden Walbeck (Fall Creek, Wis.) enjoyed a career offensive day against the Oles last Saturday, pouring in 14 points. … Kaiser scored a career high-tying 22 points 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. … The Cardinals have had five different players lead them in scoring through nine games. … Kaiser and Smith-Pugh head into Wednesday's conference game against Concordia averaging in double figures at 13.6 ppg and 11.1 ppg, respectively. … Swiggum—the team's rebounding leader with 90 (8.2 rpg)—recorded his second double-double of the season, and 10th of his collegiate career, with his 10-point, 11-rebound effort against St. Olaf last Saturday. … Swiggum has had 10 or more rebounds in a game four times this season—including a season- and career-best 16-rebound effort against Martin Luther on Nov. 24. … All 11 of Swiggum's rebounds against Simpson on Dec. 19 came on the defensive end. … The Cardinals equaled their season high with 10 3-pointers against Saint John's on Jan. 2. Saint Mary's also drained 10 treys against Augsburg on Dec. 9. … Kaiser—who finished with a season-high five 3-pointers against Saint John's on Jan. 2—has netted a team-leading 18 3-pointers, five more than Walbeck and Gleason. … Smith-Pugh leads the team in assists with 29 and Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) is the team-leader in blocks with 10. … Saint Mary's drained a season-high 24 free throws against St. Olaf last Saturday—going 24-for-30. … Saint Mary's Dec. 16 loss to Carleton snapped the Cardinals' two-game winning streak. … Saint Mary's 68-65 victory over Augsburg on Dec. 9 was its fourth of the season—equaling the win total from a year ago. … Saint Mary's has scored 80 or more points in three of its four wins this season—including a season-high 85-point effort in its 85-70 win over Macalester on Dec. 5. … The Cardinals' 85 points vs. the Scots marked the highest offensive output since Saint Mary's tossed in 87 in an 87-80 victory over Macalester on Dec. 4, 2010. … Saint Mary's is averaging 70.8 ppg. … Saint Mary's boasted a season-high five players in double figures against Macalester on Dec. 5. … The Cardinals snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Auggies with their Dec. 9 68-65 victory.
 
Scouting The Concordia Cobbers:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• After three straight home games, Wednesday's showdown at Saint Mary's is the first of back-to-back road contests for the Cobbers, who are 4-1 on their home court, while going just 3-5 on the road. … Monday's 81-66 win over Hamline was Concordia's second straight victory—and the second straight game of 80 or more points. CC netted 83 points in Saturday's 83-65 victory over Saint John's. … Jordan Bolger scored a game-high 23 points and was one of two Cobbers to eclipse the 20-point plateau vs. the Pipers Monday. Austin Nelson chipped in 22 points vs. HU, while Brady Syverson added 10. … Bolger's effort against Hamline marked the third time this season he has netted a season-high 23 points. … Concordia's leading scorer has now scored 20 or more points in nine of the team's 13 games this season. … Along with his 23 points, Bolger also hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. … The Cobbers enter Wednesday's game at Saint Mary's boasting three players who are averaging in double figures—Bolger (18.7 ppg), Tom Fraase (13.9 ppg), and Austin Nelson (12.5 ppg). … Bolger also leads the Cobbers with 90 rebounds (8.2 rpg), while Fraase owns the team lead in assists with 29, one more than Bolger. … Fraase has collected a team-best 22 steals and Nelson has amassed a team-leading 12 blocks. … As a team, Concordia has drained 93 3-pointers—including seven or more in four of its last five contests—and is shooting 38 percent (93-for-246) from behind the arc. … Fraase and Nelson have been the Cobbers' biggest long-range threats, knocking down 33 and 31 treys, respectively. … The Cobbers are averaging 78.4 ppg and 80 or more points six times—including a season-high 97 in a 97-64 win over Crown on Nov. 28. … With their 81 points against Hamline Monday, the Cobbers have eclipsed the 1,000-point mark this season, outscoring their first 13 opponents 1,019-977—including 495-444 in the first half.