INDIANOLA, Iowa — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team hits the road on Monday, as the Cardinals travel to Simpson for a 7 p.m. nonconference game against the Storm.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-0 Overall) at Simpson Storm (3-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—November 26, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) poured in a game-high 16 points and added 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, while Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) chipped in 15 points—13 coming in the second half—as the Cardinals broke open a one-point game by outscoring Luther 43-32 over the game's final 20 minutes en route to a 74-62 nonconference win at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Simpson—November 26, 2016 * Indianola, Iowa: Austin Turner scored a career-high 19 points to lead four players in double figures as Simpson beat Gustavus 90-78 in a nonconference game at Cowles Fieldhouse | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Simpson—A Year Ago:
• December 19, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's rallied from a 24-point second-half deficit, but its late rally came up short, as Simpson held off Saint Mary's 84-72 in a nonconference game at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, hosting Carleton in a 7 p.m. showdown at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Fueled by their come-from-behind 74-62 win over Luther last Saturday, the Cardinals have now won two straight games to open the year in back-to-back season—Saint Mary's opened last year with an 84-50 win over Crossroads and an 80-60 victory against Martin Luther. … Saint Mary's 84 points against Martin Luther in its season-opening 84-50 win were one shy of the Cardinals' season-high from a year ago. Saint Mary's, which eclipsed the 80-point barrier five times last season, scored a season-high 85-point effort in its 85-70 win over Macalester on Dec. 5. … The Cardinals' 85 points vs. the Scots a year ago 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 boasted a pair of double-figure scorers in its 74-62 win over Luther last Saturday. Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) scored a game-high 16 points, while Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) chipped in 15. … Smith-Pugh also hauled in a game-best 11 rebounds en route to his second double-double in as many games. The senior had 11 points and 11 boards in Saint Mary's season-opening win over Martin Luther. … Smith-Pugh, whose 11 rebounds against both Martin Luther and Luther were one shy of his career high, now owns three career double-doubles. … Smith-Pugh has now scored in double figures in both of Saint Mary's games this season—and 18 times in his two years as a Cardinal. … Smith-Pugh scored a career-best 24 points against Saint John's on Feb. 6, 2016. … Ferron notched his first double-double of the season and third of his Saint Mary's career with 14 points and 11 rebounds vs. Martin Luther on Nov. 15. … Ferron's 11 rebounds vs. Martin Luther were two shy of his career high. … In his first game in a Cardinal uniform, Cole Kruger (Hayfield, Minn.) scored a team- and game-high 17 points against Martin Luther on Nov. 15. … The Cardinals head into Monday's game at Simpson boasting three players averaging in double figures—Ferron (14.5 ppg), Smith-Pugh (13.5 ppg), and Kruger (13.0 ppg). … Smith-Pugh also leads the team in rebounds with 22 (11.0 rpg), five more than Ferron. … Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.) is the team's assist lead with nine, while Kruger and Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) share the team lead in steals with three each. … Saint Mary's poured in 10 3-pointers against Luther last Saturday, marking the second straight game the Cardinals have netted 10 treys. … The Cardinals' 10 3-pointer in each of their last two games are one shy of last season's single-game high of 11 against Saint John's on Feb. 6. … Romportl, Kruger, and Bradley Hill (Matteson, Ill.) lead the team with four 3-pointers each, one more than Gleason. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 79.0 ppg, while limiting their first two opponents to just 56.0 ppg. … Saint Mary's owns a 33-point scoring edge over the game's final 20 minutes, outscoring its opponents 85-52. … The Cardinals closed out the season with nine wins a year ago—the most since the 2010-11 campaign, when Saint Mary's finished 9-16. The Cardinals' seven conference wins, meanwhile, are the most since going 7-13 in 2009-10.
 
Scouting The Simpson Storm:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Monday's game against Saint Mary's is the Storm's third against teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Simpson has already faced Augsburg (W, 95-71) and Gustavus (W, 90-78). … Simpson's 67-59 loss to Waldorf on Nov. 21 snapped the Storm's season-opening two-game winning streak. … Simpson's 90-78 win over Gustavus last Saturday was its first against the Gusties in five meetings. … Austin Turner scored 19 points to lead four Simpson players in double figures in its win over Gustavus last Saturday. Sam Amsbaugh chipped in 16 points, while Ryan Skaar and Sabonis Smith finished with 14 and 12 points respectively. … Turner's 19 points vs. Gustavus were a career high. … Simpson enters Monday's matchup against Saint Mary's boasting three players—Amsbaugh (19.5 ppg), Skaar (10.5 ppg), and Smith (10.5 ppg)—averaging in double figures. … Amsbaugh (8.3 rpg) and D.J. Dafney (7.5 rpg) are the team's rebounding leaders with 33 and 30 rebounds respectively. … Turner and Smith have both amassed 10 or more assists, with Turner leading the way with 16 and Smith close behind with 10. … Simpson has drained 36 3-pointers through their first four games, led by Skaar with 11 and Amsbaugh with six. … Simpson has scored 90 or more points in two of its three wins—90 vs. Gustavus in a 90-78 win, and a season-high 95 in a 95-71 victory over Augsburg. … Monday's game against Saint Mary's is the Storm's third straight home game—Simpson is 2-1 on its home court, while going 1-0 on the road. The Storm will play six of their next seven games away from Cowles Fieldhouse.