WINONA, Minn. — It's been more than 60 years since a Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team enjoyed an offensive performance like the one the Cardinals put together Wednesday evening.
 
Sixty-four years to be exact.
 
The Cardinals erupted for 106 points in their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown with Augsburg—just four points shy of the school-record, set against the University of Minnesota-Duluth during the 1952-53 season.
 
Unfortunately, Augsburg equaled the Cardinals' long-standing school record—plus one—handing Saint Mary's a heartbreaking 111-106 overtime setback at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Cardinals, who rallied from 14 points down late in the second half, appeared to have the  game won in regulation, leading 84-80 with less than five seconds remaining.
 
Augsburg, however, had other ideas, scoring four points in that three-second span to force overtime. Kevin McKieman scored on a layup with 3.7 seconds on the clock and was fouled. Still trailing by two, 84-82, McKieman purposely missed the free throw, and Richie Perea grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and drained both free throws to knot the game and send it to overtime.
 
And what an overtime it proved to be.
 
Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) scored the Cardinals' first five points in the extra session to give Saint Mary's a quick 89-86 lead, but Augsburg answered, pulling even, 89-89, on a 3-pointer by Nick Sabatke.
 
The game would be tied twice more—94-94 and 96-96—before the Auggies went on a 7-0 run to grab a 103-96 advantage with 50 seconds on the clock. Five more points by Smith-Pugh—a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws—made it a three-point game, 104-101, but the Cardinals could get no closer as Augsburg scored seven of the final 12 points to seal the win.
 
The Auggies held a seven-point, 42-35 lead at the half, and pushed that advantage to as many as 16, 67-51. Augsburg led 69-55 midway through the second half, before the Cardinals got down to business, rattling off 14 unanswered points to knot the game at 69-69—setting up the wild end to regulation, and the even wilder overtime period.
 
Smith-Pugh scored a team-high 30 points—the highest single-game performance since Will Wright poured in 30, also against Augsburg, on Feb. 19, 2010—knocking down 10 of 14 field goal attempts, and chipping in an 8-for-10 showing from the free throw line.
 
Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) also enjoyed a career night, scoring 24 points, while Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) poured in four 3-pointers en route to an 18-point effort, and Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.) chipped in 16.
 
The Cardinals shot 50 percent from the field (35-for-70)—including nine 3-pointers—and were 27-for-32 from the free throw line. Augsburg, meanwhile, went 34-for-63 from the field (54 percent) with five 3-pointers, and knocked down 38 of 48 attempts from the charity stripe.
 
Collin Olmscheid scored a game-high 34 points to lead five Auggie players in double figures. McKieman and Perea chipped in 18 and 17 points respectively, followed by Chuckie Smith (11) and Henry Mulligan (10).
 
 The Cardinals (3-4 MIAC, 5-6 overall) are back in action on Saturday, traveling to Collegeville, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference showdown against Saint John's.