WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team is back on its home court on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain nationally ranked St. Thomas in a 1 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-6 MIAC | 4-8 Overall) vs. #6 St. Thomas Tommies (7-1 MIAC | 12-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) led a trio of Cardinals in double figures—and Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) recorded his first double-double of the season—but Concordia pulled away in the second half in handing Saint Mary's an 81-65 conference setback Wednesday at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• St. Thomas: Taylor Montero knocked down all five 3-point tries in a season-high 25-point output to pace No. 6-ranked St. Thomas' 85-73 win over Saint John's Wednesday in Collegeville, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Thomas—A Year Ago:
• December 10, 2014 * St. Paul, Minn.: Saint Mary's kept eighth-ranked St. Thomas within their sights for the first 20 minutes of the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game. Over the game's final 20 minutes, however, the high-powered Tommie offense—and defense—kicked into high gear, as UST scored the first 12 points of the half, while limiting the Cardinals to just 13 second-half points, in dealing Saint Mary's a 75-43 setback at Schoenecker Arena | Recap
• February 4, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's got 15 points from Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.), but the Tommies wore the Cardinals down over the game's final 20 minutes, holding a 37-21 scoring edge in the second half in handing Saint Mary's a 79-57 setback conference at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to Hamline's Hutton Arena for a 7 p.m. MIAC game against the Pipers.
• St. Thomas: The Tommies return home to Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday, entertaining St. Olaf in a 7 p.m. conference matchup.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Saturday's game against the nationally ranked Tommies is the second straight home game for the Cardinals. … Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) scored a career-high 15 points to lead the Cardinals in scoring in their loss to Concordia last Wednesday. … Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) chipped in 14 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) added 11 points. … Ferron's 14-point, 10-rebound effort against Concordia Wednesday gave the junior his second collegiate double-double. … Ferron has now recorded 10 or more rebounds in back-to-back games, having hauled in a career-high 11 boards against Bethel on Monday. … Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) scored a season-high 21 points against Bethel Monday. … Swiggum now owns seven games of 20 or more points in his collegiate career. … The Cardinals have had a player score 20 or more points in a game six times this season. … Connor Kaiser (Rockland, Wis.) has recorded three of the team's six 20-point performances, while Swiggum, Ferron (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. … 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 Saturday's conference game against St. Thomas averaging in double figures at 12.4 ppg and 11.1 ppg, respectively. … Swiggum—the team's rebounding leader with 93 (7.8 rpg)—recorded his second double-double of the season, and 10th of his collegiate career, with his 10-point, 11-rebound performance 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, four more than Walbeck and five in front of Gleason. … Smith-Pugh leads the team in assists with 32 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 St. Thomas Tommies:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of back-to-back road games for the Tommies, who are 7-0 away from Schoenecker Arena this season. … With their 85-73 win over Saint John's Wednesday, the Tommies pushed their winning streak to a season-high eight straight—and remained atop the conference standings, one-half game in front of second-place St. Olaf. … St. Thomas heads to Saint Mary's Saturday ranked No. 6 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25. … UST's lone loss this season was a one-point, 67-66 decision to Carleton on Dec. 5. That setback snapped the Tommies' season-opening four-game winning streak. … Taylor Montero was a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the 3-point line and scored a season-high 25 points against Saint John's Wednesday. … With his five 3-pointers against the Johnnies, Montero is now shooting 55.7 percent (39-for-70) from 3-point range—tops in all of NCAA Division III. … Montero has made 152 3-pointers in 99 career games. … Montero was one of four UST players in double figures vs. SJU—Cortez Tillman added 18 points, Grant Schaeffer added 16, and Ryan Saarela pitched in 11. … Saarela hauled in a team- and season-high 16 rebounds en route to his fourth double-double of the season. … The Tommies have had a player score 20 or more points in eight of their first 13 games—including back-to-back 25-point efforts in their last two games. … UST heads into Saturday's showdown with Saint Mary's boasting four players averaging in double figures—Montero (15.7 ppg), Grant Schaeffer (14.8 ppg), Cortez Tillman (13.4 ppg), and Saarela (11.2 ppg). … Saarela has amassed a team-high 121 rebounds (9.3 rpg), while also leading the Tommies in blocks (21) and steals (12). … St. Thomas has four players with 20 or more assists, led by Schaeffer with 48. … UST has drained 104 3-pointers, led by Montero (39) and Tillman (23). … With Wednesday's win over Saint John's, the Tommies, who are averaging 76.8 ppg, have now scored 80 or more points five times this season—including each of their last two games and three of their last four. … St. Thomas scored a season-high 92 points in a 92-64 win over Concordia on Dec. 2. … The Tommies have outscored their first 13 opponents 998-814—462-391 in the first half and 536-423 in the second.