NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Monday, as the Cardinals head to St. Olaf's Skoglund Center for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Oles.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-5 MIAC, 5-7 Overall) at St. Olaf Oles (4-4 MIAC, 6-7 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 14, 2017 * Collegeville, Minn.: Saint Mary's put four players in double figures—led by Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) with 12—but the Cardinal offense could not match the firepower of Saint John's. The Johnnies shot 62 percent from the field—including draining 20 of 26 field goals in scoring 49 first-half points—as the Johnnies dealt the Cardinals a 94-74 Minnesota Intercollegiate setback at Sexton Arena | Recap
• St. Olaf—January 14, 2017 * Minneapolis, Minn.: St. Olaf survived Augsburg's 39-27 second-half scoring advantage to knock off the Auggies 70-68 at Si Melby Hall | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Olaf—A Year Ago:
• January 9, 2016 * Northfield, Minn.: St. Olaf entered its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Saint Mary's "owning" the game's final 20 minutes. Through 11 games, the Oles had outscored their opponents by 49 points, 769-720, after the halftime break. Against Saint Mary's, however, it was the Cardinals who owned the game's final 20 minutes, outscoring St. Olaf 41-34—including a 14-point second-half showing by Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.). Unfortunately for the Cardinals, that Herculean second-half effort was not quite enough to erase a 12-point halftime deficit, as St. Olaf dealt Saint Mary's a heartbreaking 85-80 setback at Skoglund Center | Recap
• February 13, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals, fueled by Bradley Hill (Matteson, Ill.) knocked down seven first-half 3-pointers and raced out to a commanding 42-25 lead over St. Olaf at the break. Unfortunately, the Oles had an ace or two up their sleeve over the game's final 20 minutes, raining down nine second-half 3-pointers, igniting a 50-25 second-half burst that led St. Olaf to a 75-67 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals close out the first half of their conference schedule on Wednesday, hosting St. Thomas in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• St. Olaf: The Oles are back in action on Wednesday, traveling across town to Carleton's West Gym for a 7:45 p.m. showdown with the Knights.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Monday's game at St. Olaf is the second of back-to-back road games for the Cardinals. … 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 last 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 scored 80 or more points four times this season—including twice in the last four contests. … Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.)—coming off a career-high 30-point performance last Wednesday against Augsburg—scored a team-best 12 points in the Cardinals' loss to Saint John's last Saturday. … 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. … Wylie Ferron (St. Paul, Minn.) also had a career nights against Augsburg last Wednesday, pouring in 24 points—including 18 after halftime. … Ferron, Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.), and Liam Gorman (Orland Park, Ill.) joined Smith-Pugh in double figures against Saint John's, all scoring 10 points. … The Cardinals, who have put four players in double figures in each of their last two games, have boasted five players scoring in double figures twice this season—achieving 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, while Gorman's 10 points vs. the Johnnies last Saturday were a career-best. … The Cardinals enter their conference game against Augsburg boasting four players averaging in double figures—Ferron (13.9 ppg), Smith-Pugh (13.3 ppg), Gleason (10.4 ppg), and Romportl (10.0 ppg) … Ferron and Smith-Pugh are also the team's rebounding leaders with 96 (8.0 rpg) and 88 (7.3 rpg) rebounds, respectively. … Kruger leads the team in assists with 31. He is one of five Cardinals with 20 or more assists—Smith-Pugh (28), Gleason (24), Ferron (23), and Romportl (22) are the others. … Smith-Pugh and Kruger have amassed a team-leading 12 steals, two 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 (322-for-739) through 12 games, have knocked down 114 3-pointers—including 10 or more six times. … The Cardinals equaled their season high with 13 3-pointers against Saint John's last Saturday—it was the second time this season Saint Mary's has hit 13 treys in a game, and the most since raining in 13 against Bethel on Jan. 19, 2008. … Romportl leads the way with 27 3-pointers, six more than Gleason. … Saint Mary's has gotten at least one 3-pointer from all 15 players this season. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 77.5 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at a 80.7 ppg clip. … Last 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. … 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. …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 St. Olaf Oles:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• The Oles enter Monday's game against Saint Mary's having played six of their last seven games on the road. Following their showdown with the Cardinals, the Oles play two more road games, before playing six of their final nine games at Skoglund Center. … With its two-point, 70-68 win over Augsburg last Saturday, St. Olaf pushed its winning streak to a season-high three straight. … The Oles' 78-60 win over Macalester on Jan. 7 snapped their season-long four-game losing streak. … St. Olaf had four players score in double figures against the Auggies last Saturday, led by Nate Albers with 15. Ben Scheffley added 14 points, with Frank Delaney and Austin Majeskie chipping in 12 and 10 points, respectively. … Albers has now led the Oles in scoring in each of their last three games. … St. Olaf has had a player score 20 or more points in a game four times, including three players—Austin Korba (twice) and Albers—posting a season-high 21 points. … St. Olaf enters Monday's matchup with Saint Mary's boasting three players—Robert Tobroxen (13.1 ppg), Majeskie (11.6 ppg), and Albergs (10.8 ppg)—averaging in double figures. … Tobroxen also leads the Oles in rebounding with 94 (7.2 rpg), while Scheffley owns a team-best 40 assists and Majeskie has amassed a team-leading 12 steals. … St. Olaf is shooting 45 percent from the field (326-for-723) and has knocked down 81 3-pointers through 13 games. … The Oles boast four players with 10 or more 3-pointers, led by Albers with 23 and Korba with 17. … The Oles, who are averaging 65.8 ppg, have scored 70 or more points four times this season, including a season-high 78 points twice—once in a 108-78 loss to Whitman on Nov. 18, and once vs. Macalester in a 78-60 victory over Macalester on Jan. 7. … The Oles have outscored their opponents 449-423 in the second, but have been outscored 451-407 in the game's opening 20 minutes.