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 host Gustavus in a 3 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-2 MIAC, 3-3 Overall) vs. Gustavus Gusties (2-1 MIAC, 2-3 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—December 7, 2016 * Arden Hills, Minn.: The Cardinals eclipsed the 80-point barrier for the second time this season and got a team-high 23 points from Quashingm Smith-Pugh, but it was not enough to slow high-powered Bethel, as the Royals dealt Saint Mary's a 99-82 conference setback at Robertson Center Gym | Recap
• Gustavus—December 7, 2016 * Northfield, Minn.: After trailing by more than 10 points in the second half, the Gusties rallied to pull within two, only to have St. Olaf pull away down the stretch in handing GAC a 69-65 conference setback at Skoglund Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus—A Year Ago:
• December 2, 2015 * St. Peter, Minn.: Saint Mary's got double-figure scoring from both Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) and Connor Kaiser (Rockland, Wis.), but it was not enough, as the Cardinals dropped their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener, falling to Gustavus 69-57 at Gus Young Court | Recap
• January 25, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: From the very first basket, Saint Mary's had to play catch-up in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Gustavus. And no matter how hard they tried, the Cardinals just could not seize the lead away from the Gusties, as Gustavus had just enough down the stretch to hand Saint Mary's a 71-62 conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are now off until Dec. 22, when they travel to UW-Green Bay for a 7 p.m. exhibition game against NCAA Division I UW-Green Bay.
• Gustavus: The Gusties step out of conference play on Tuesday, entertaining North Central (Minn.) in a 7 p.m. nonconference game at Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Following this afternoon's game against Gustavus, the Cardinals will play their next four contests on the road. Saint Mary's next home game is Jan. 11 against Augsburg. … Two of the Cardinals' three wins this season have come on their home court. … Wednesday's 99-82 setback against Bethel marked the first time this season the Cardinals have dropped back-to-back games—Saint Mary's also fell to Concordia 82-67 last Saturday. … Quashingm Smith-Pugh poured in a season-high 23 points in the Cardinals' loss to Bethel on Wednesday. The 23 points were one shy of Smith-Pugh's career high—a 24-point effort against Saint John's on Feb. 6, 2016. … Smith-Pugh was one of four Cardinals to score in double figures against the Royals Wednesday—Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.) chipped in 13, while Cole Kruger (Hayfield, Minn.) and Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) each added 11. … Smith-Pugh became the first Cardinal this season to score more than 20 points in a game. … Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) finished with eight points against Bethel Wednesday, snapping the senior's streak of five straight games scoring in double figures. … Ferron hauled in a team-best 10 rebounds against Simpson on Nov. 28 en route to his second double-double this season. Ferron now owns four career double-doubles. … Smith-Pugh corralled a team-leading 11 boards against Concordia last Saturday for his third double-double this season—and fourth in a Cardinal uniform. …  Smith-Pugh's 11 rebounds against Concordia mark the third time this season the senior has hauled in 11 boards—one shy of his career high. … The Cardinals put a season-high five players in double figures in their 74-67 win over Carleton on Nov. 30. … Saint Mary's—which also had five players score in double figures once last season—has now had four or more players score in double figures in four of its six games this season. … The Cardinals drained a season-high 12 3-pointers in their win against Carleton on Nov. 30—it was the most 3-pointers since Saint Mary's rained in 13 against Bethel on Jan. 19, 2008. … Saint Mary's has had four different players lead the team in scoring through six games. … In his first game in a Cardinal uniform, Kruger scored a team- and game-high 17 points against Martin Luther on Nov. 15. … The Cardinals enter Wednesday's game against Bethel boasting three players averaging in double figures—Smith-Pugh (13.7 ppg), Ferron (13.0 ppg), and Kruger (10.3 ppg). … Smith-Pugh leads the team in rebounds with 52 (8.7 rpg), five more than Ferron (47, 7.8 rpg). … Smith-Pugh also leads the Cardinals in assists with 16 and steals with six. … Saint Mary's has knocked down 53 treys in six games—including 10 or more three times. … Romportl, who drained a pair of 3s against Bethel Wednesday, leads the way with 13 3-pointers, two in front of Bradley Hill (Matteson, Ill.). … Saint Mary's has gotten at least one 3-pointer from 11 different players this season. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 74.5 ppg, while limiting their first six opponents to just 73.7 ppg. … Saint Mary's has outscored its opponents 230-225 in the first half, while both the Cardinals and their opponents have netted 217 points after halftime. … The Cardinals' 82 points in Wednesday's 99-82 loss to Bethel marked the second time this season they have eclipsed the 80-point barrier. Saint Mary's netted a season-best 84 points in its season-opening 84-50 win over Martin Luther on Nov. 15. … The Cardinals' 84 points against Martin Luther were one shy of the Cardinals' season-high from a year ago. Saint Mary's, which netted 80 or more points five times last season, scored a season-high 85-point effort in its 85-70 win over Macalester on Dec. 5. That 85-point performance marked the highest offensive output since Saint Mary's tossed in 87 in an 87-80 victory over Macalester on Dec. 4, 2010.  … 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 Gustavus Gusties:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the third straight road game for the Gusties, who are 1-3 away from Gus Young Court. … Wednesday's 69-65 loss to St. Olaf snapped Gustavus' two-game winning streak. … Peter Kruize scored a team-high 22 points in the Gusties' loss to St. Olaf on Wednesday. Kruize was one of three Gusties to score in double figures vs. the Oles—Spencer Tollefson (17) and Riley Sharbono (10) are the other two. … Tollefson's 17 points against St. Olaf were a career high. … Kruize has now led Gustavus in scoring in two of its five games, while Sharbono, Tollefson, and Alec Koster have also led the Gusties in scoring. … Kruize now owns the Gusties' top two individual single-game performances, having also scored a season-high 27 points in Gustavus' 90-78 loss to Simpson on Nov. 27. … Kruize heads into Saturday's game at Saint Mary's owning a team-best 16.6 ppg, while Sharbono is also averaging in double figures at 14.4 ppg. … Kruize has posted a team-high 27 rebounds (5.4 rpg)—he is one of five Gusties to haul in 20 or more boards through five games. … Koster is the team's assist leader with 17, while also leading the team with eight steals. … The Gusties are shooting 45 percent from the floor (138-for-306) and have knocked down 24 3-pointers. … Sharbono has accounted for 13 of the team's 24 treys this season. … The Gusties have outscored their opponents 194-183 over the game's final 20 minutes. GAC has been outscored 200-184 prior to halftime. … Gustavus has scored 80 or more points twice, including a season-high 92-point showing in a 92-75 win over Concordia on Nov. 30. On the flip side, the Gusties' opponents have also scored 80 or more points twice—including 90 by Simpson in its 90-78 win over GAC on Nov. 27.