WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as the Cardinals host Augsburg in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-3 MIAC, 5-5 Overall) vs. Augsburg Auggies (3-3 MIAC, 5-6 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 4, 2017 * St. Paul, Minn.: Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.) scored Saint Mary's final six points—including the game-winning basket with 20 seconds remaining in regulation—to lift the Cardinals to a 76-74 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory at Leonard Center | Recap
• Augsburg—January 7, 2017 * Arden Hills, Minn.: Bethel shot a sizzling 60 percent from the field in the opening half, and the Auggies never recovered, falling to the host Royals 89-71 in a conference matchup at Robertson Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Augsburg—A Year Ago:
• December 9, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: It took a while for Saint Mary's to find its shooting touch—but once they did, the Cardinals were unstoppable. Trailing by as many as 14 early in the second half, the Cardinals knocked down seven 3-pointers in erasing that 14-point deficit and handing Augsburg a 68-65 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• January 27, 2016 * Minneapolis, Minn.: Augsburg outscored the Cardinals 47-35 in the first half and never let them get closer than eight over the game's final 20 minutes in handing Saint Mary's a 75-64 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Si Melby Hall | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals take to the road on Saturday, heading to Saint John's Sexton Arena in Collegeville, Minn., for a 3 p.m. MIAC matchup against the Johnnies.
• Augsburg: The Auggies hit the road on Saturday, traveling to St. Olaf's Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference showdown with the Oles.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Last Wednesday's conference game against Macalester was the last of four straight road games for the Cardinals, who, following Wednesday's home showdown against Augsburg, are back on the road for their next two games. … Three of the Cardinals' five wins this season have come on their home court. … Last Wednesday's 76-74 win over Macalester snapped the Cardinals' two-game losing streak. … Saint Mary's last two wins have both been by two points—75-73 over Gustavus on Dec. 10, and 76-74 over Macalester last Wednesday. … The Cardinals erupted for a season-high 86 points in their 89-86 loss to Hamline on Jan. 2. The 86-point output was Saint Mary's highest single-game scoring performance since tossing in 87 in an 87-80 victory over Macalester on Dec. 4, 2010.  … Saint Mary's has now scored 80 or more points three times this season. … Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Eli Cave (St. Paul, Minn.) each scored 15 points to lead four Cardinals in double figures against Macalester last Wednesday. Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) chipped in 14 points and James Cullen (Western Springs, Ill.) added 11. … Cave's 15 points were a career-high. … The Cardinals have boasted five players scoring in double figures twice this season, having achieved the feat in a 74-67 win over Carleton on Nov. 30 and in an 89-86 loss to Hamline on Jan. 2. … Along with his 14 points, Ferron also hauled in a team-high 11 rebounds against Macalester en route to his fourth double-double of the season and fifth of his collegiate career. … Cullen scored a career-high 22 points in the Cardinals' 85-66 loss to Carnegie Mellon on Dec. 28. The 22-point effort was 13 points better than his previous career high. … Ferron scored 22 points and hauled in 13 rebounds—both career highs—in the Cardinals' 75-73 win over Gustavus on Dec. 10. … Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) also had a double-double against the Gusties on Dec. 10, scoring 17 points and adding 10 rebounds. It was his fourth double-double this season—and fifth as a Cardinal. … Smith-Pugh poured in a season-high 23 points in the Cardinals' loss to Bethel on Dec. 7. The 23 points were one shy of Smith-Pugh's career high—a 24-point effort against Saint John's on Feb. 6, 2016. … 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 enter their conference game against Augsburg boasting three players averaging in double figures—Ferron (13.3 ppg), Smith-Pugh (11.7 ppg), and Gleason (10.3 ppg). … Ferron and Smith-Pugh are also the team's rebounding leaders with 82 (8.2 rpg) and 77 (7.7 rpg) rebounds, respectively. … Smith-Pugh also leads the Cardinals in assists with 24—two in front of Kruger—while Ferron is the team's steals leader with 10, one more than Smith-Pugh and Kruger. … Saint Mary's shot a season-best 51 percent (32-for-63) from the field against Hamline on Jan. 2. … The Cardinals, who are shooting 43 percent from the field (263-for-607) through 10 games, have knocked down 92 3-pointers—including 10 or more five times. … The Cardinals poured in a season-high 13 3-pointers against Hamline on Jan. 2. It was most 3-pointers in a game since raining in 13 against Bethel on Jan. 19, 2008. … Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) leads the way with 20 3-pointers, three more than Gleason and five in front of Bradley Hill (Matteson, Ill.). … Saint Mary's has gotten at least one 3-pointer from 14 different players this season. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 75.0 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at a 76.3 ppg clip. … With their 75-73 win over Gustavus on Dec. 10, the Cardinals snapped their two-game losing streak, while also putting an end to a 12-game slide against the Gusties that dated back to a 78-75 win on Jan. 27, 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 Augsburg Auggies:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Last Saturday's 89-71 loss to Bethel was the Auggies' second straight setback. … After putting together a season-high four-game winning streak from Nov. 26-Dec. 5, the Auggies have won just once in their last four games. … Kevin McKiernan scored a team-high 18 points against the Royals last Saturday. McKiernan has now scored in double figures in seven straight games. … Richie Perea (16) and Chuckie Smith (12) also scored in double figures against Bethel last Saturday. … Augsburg boasts three players—Collin Olmscheid (18.4 ppg), Smith (13.5 ppg), and McKiernan (12.0 ppg)—who are averaging in double figures heading into Wednesday's game at Saint Mary's. … The Auggies have had just three players lead them in scoring this season—Olmscheid (6 times), Smith (3 times), and McKiernan (2 times). … Olmscheid has scored a season-high 27 points twice this season—first against Willamette on Nov. 27 and then again vs. Concordia on Jan. 2. … Augsburg has had a player score 20 or more points in seven of its 11 games. … Olmscheid is also the team's rebounding leader with 90 (8.2 rpg). … Perea has dished out a team-high 48 assists, while Smith owns a team-leading 12 steals, one more than Perea and Harry Sonie. … Augsburg is shooting 46 percent from the field (285-for-624) and has knocked down 90 3-pointers. … Ten different Auggies have drained at least one 3-pointer this season, led by Smith with 24 and McKeirnan with 20. … The Auggies are averaging 76.6 ppg and have scored 80 or more points four times—including a season-best 89-point effort in an 89-67 victory over Martin Luther on Dec. 5. … Augsburg has played one overtime game this season, falling to Colorado College 88-82 oin Nov. 25. … Three of the Auggies' five wins have come on their home court—Augsburg is just 2-5 away from Si Melby Hall this season.