COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals head to Saint John's Sexton Arena for a 3 p.m. showdown with the Johnnies.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-4 MIAC, 5-6 Overall) at Saint John's Johnnies (5-2 MIAC, 9-3 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 11, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals erupted for 106 points in their MIAC 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 | Recap
• Saint John's—January 11, 2017 * Collegeville, Minn.: Saint John's limited Macalester to just nine points in the game's opening 14 minutes in cruising to a 78-55 conference win over the Scots at Sexton Arena | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Saint John's—A Year Ago:
• January 2, 2016 * Collegeville, Minn.: Saint Mary's had the upper hand against Saint John's during the opening 20 minutes of their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Sexton Arena. In fact, when the Cardinals headed into the locker room at the break, they were enjoying an eight-point, 42-34 advantage. Unfortunately, the second half against the Johnnies wasn't nearly as kind, as SJU outscored Saint Mary's 47-26 over the final 20 minutes in handing the Cardinals an 81-68 setback | Recap
• February 6, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals erupted for 42 first-half points in its rematch against Saint John's, shooting 54 percent from the field and knocking down 5 of 9 3-pointers—and yet they trailed by 14. As good as the Cardinals were, Saint John's was even better, as the Johnnies missed just seven field goals attempts—and drained 9 of 11 3-pointers—in building a 56-42 halftime advantage. And despite a Herculean effort in the game's final 20 minutes, the Cardinals could not quite make up the deficit, falling to the Johnnies 89-80 at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on the road on Monday, heading to St. Olaf's Skoglund Center for a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown with the Oles.
• Saint John's: The Johnnies return home to Sexton Arena in Collegeville, Minn., on Monday, entertaining Bethel in a 7 p.m. conference contest.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Saturday's game at Saint John's is the first of back-to-back road games for the Cardinals, who are 2-4 away from the Saint Mary's Gym this season. … Three of the Cardinals' five wins this season have come on their home court. … The Cardinals erupted for 106 points in their 111-106 loss to Augsburg Wednesday. The 106 points were just four shy of the school-record 110 points, set against UM-Duluth during the 1952-53 season. … The Cardinals have now scored 80 or more points four times this season—including twice in the last three contests. … Wednesday's game against Augsburg was the first overtime game of the season for the Cardinals, and the first since beating Crown 86-81 on Nov. 23, 2013—a span of 83 games between overtime contests. … Saint Mary's last two wins have both been by two points—75-73 over Gustavus on Dec. 10, and 76-74 over Macalester on Jan. 4. … Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) and Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) each had career nights against Augsburg Wednesday. Smith-Pugh poured in a career-high 30 points, while Ferron chipped in 24—including 18 after halftime. … Smith-Pugh's 30-point effort was the highest single-game performance since Will Wright poured in 30—also against Augsburg—on Feb. 19, 2010. … Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) and Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.) also finished in double figures against Augsburg Wednesday, netting 18 and 17 points, respectively. … 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. … Ferron picked up his fourth double-double of the season, and fifth of his career, with 14 points and 11 rebounds against Macalester on Jan. 4. … Ferron scored 22 points and hauled in 13 rebounds—both career highs—in the Cardinals' 75-73 win over Gustavus on Dec. 10. … Smith-Pugh 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. … James Cullen (Western Springs, Ill.) 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. … 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. … Eli Cave (St. Paul, Minn.) scored a career-high 15 points against Macalester on Jan. 4. … 
 
The Cardinals enter their conference game against Augsburg boasting four players averaging in double figures—Ferron (14.3 ppg), Smith-Pugh (13.4 ppg), Gleason (10.8 ppg), and Romportl (10.0 ppg) … Ferron and Smith-Pugh are also the team's rebounding leaders with 89 (8.1 rpg) and 85 (7.7 rpg) rebounds, respectively. … Kruger leads the team in assists with 27. He is one of five Cardinals with 20 or more assists—Smith-Pugh (24), Ferron (23), Gleason (22), and Romportl (20) are the others. … Smith-Pugh has amassed a team-leading 11 steals, one more than Ferron. … 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 44 percent from the field (298-for-677) through 11 games, have knocked down 101 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. … Romportl leads the way with 24 3-pointers, five more than Gleason. … Saint Mary's has gotten at least one 3-pointer from 14 different players this season. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 77.8 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at a 79.5 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 Saint John's Johnnies:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of three straight home games for the Johnnies, who are 4-2 on their home court this season. … With their 78-55 win over Macalester Wednesday, the Johnnies have now won two straight, three of their last four, and five of their last seven. … Saint John's has not lost back-to-back games all season. … SJU finished with three players in double figures vs. Macalester Wednesday, led by Tyler Weiss with 21 points. Patrick Strom chipped in 14 and David Stokman added 12. … With his 21-point effort against Macalester, Weiss has now led the team in scoring in five of its 12 games. Stockman has been the team's scoring leader four times, while Alade, Brent Hentges, and Strom have each led the team once. … The Johnnies have had at least one player score 20 or more points in nine of their 12 games. … Stokman owns the team's highest single-game offensive performance, scoring 31 points in the Johnnies' season-opening win over UW-Superior on Nov. 15. … The Johnnies head into Saturday's game against Saint Mary's boasting four players averaging in double figures—Weiss (17.2 ppg), Stokman (15.8 ppg), Jubie Alade (12.2 ppg), and Strom (11.3 ppg). … Weiss is also the Johnnies rebounding leader with 67 (5.6 rpg), while Stokman and Garrett Goetz share the team lead with 42 assists each, and Shareif Bailey owns a team-best 11 steals. … Weiss has accounted for 10 of the Johnnies' 28 blocks. … Saint John's, which is averaging 78.2 ppg, is shooting 49 percent from the field (330-for-669), and have drained 97 3-pointers. … Stokman (32) and Strom (30) have accounted for 62 of the team's 97 3-pointers. … SJU has scored 70 or more points in 10 of its 12 games, the lone exceptions, a 62-45 win over Carleton and an 82-69 loss to St. Thomas. … The Johnnies have eclipsed the 90-point barrier twice this season—netting 91 points in a 91-74 win over Augsburg, while pouring in a season-high 94 points in beating UM-Morris 94-88.