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 defending national champion St. Thomas in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-6 MIAC, 5-8 Overall) vs. St. Thomas Tommies (6-3 MIAC, 10-4 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 16, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: When Saint Mary's and St. Olaf squared off a year ago, both matchups went down to the wire—with each game decided by eight points or less. And when the two teams met Monday evening at Skoglund Center, the end result was no different. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, for the third straight meeting, it was the Oles who escaped with the nail-biting victory, as St. Olaf used a 16-7 run over the game's final 4:30 to deal Saint Mary's a 79-71 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback | Recap
• St. Thomas—January 14, 2017 * St. Paul, Minn.: Grant Shaeffer scored a game-high 17 points and 15 different Tommies scored points in the Tommies' 90-58 victory over Concordia at Schoenecker Arena | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Thomas—A Year Ago:
• January 16, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's put three players in double figures—and knocked down nine 3-pointers—but it was not enough to keep pace with sixth-ranked St. Thomas. The Tommies matched the Cardinals' long-range prowess—draining 10 treys—and pulled away in the second half to hand Saint Mary's a 91-61 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• February 20, 2016 * St. Paul, Minn.: Saint Mary's struggled to get its offense on track in its regular-season finale. And against a team as high-powered as St. Thomas—the seventh-ranked team in the country—an off-shooting night is not what the Cardinals could afford. St. Thomas scored 23 of the final 30 points of the first half, and added a 19-3 run early in the second, as the Tommies pulled away and handed Saint Mary's a 77-48 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Schoenecker Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals hit the road on Saturday, traveling to Concordia's Memorial Auditorium for a 3 p.m. MIAC matchup with the Cobbers.
• St. Thomas: The Tommies return home to Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minn., on Saturday, hosting Augsburg in a 3 p.m. conference showdown.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• The Cardinals are in the midst of playing five of six games on the road—the lone exception being tonight's home contest against St. Thomas. … Three of the Cardinals' five wins this season have come on their home court. … The Cardinals' 79-71 loss to St. Olaf Monday marked the third straight meeting between the two teams that was decided by eight points or less. … Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) scored a team-high 19 points against St. Olaf Monday, leading three Cardinals who scored in double figures. Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) chipped in 14 points and Cole Kruger (Hayfield, Minn.) added 13. … Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) scored a career-high 30 points in the Cardinals' 111-106 overtime loss to Augsburg last Wednesday. … 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. … Ferron also had a career nights against Augsburg last Wednesday, pouring in 24 points—including 18 after halftime. … The Cardinals, who have put four players in double figures in two of their last three 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 career-high 13 rebounds 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 Liam Gorman's (Orland Park, Ill.) 10 points against Saint John's last Saturday were a career-best. … The Cardinals enter their conference game against defending national champion St. Thomas boasting three players averaging in double figures—Ferron (14.3 ppg), Smith-Pugh (12.8 ppg), and Romportl (10.3 ppg). … Ferron and Smith-Pugh are also the team's rebounding leaders with 102 (7.8 rpg) and 91 (7.0 rpg) rebounds, respectively. … Kruger leads the team in assists with 35. He is one of five Cardinals with 20 or more assists—Smith-Pugh (32), Ferron (26), Gleason (25), and Romportl (24) are the others. … Smith-Pugh and Ferron have amassed a team-leading 13 steals, one more than 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 (346-for-800) through 13 games, have knocked down 119 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 28 3-pointers, seven 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 77.0 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at a 80.5 ppg clip. … 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. … Saint Mary'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. Thomas Tommies:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• With their 90-58 win over Concordia last Saturday, the Tommies have now won six of their last seven games—the lone exception, a 65-56 loss to St. Olaf last Wednesday. … UST's loss to St. Olaf snapped the Tommies' season-high five-game winning streak. … Nine of UST's 10 wins have come during winning streaks of four and five games. … Grant Shaeffer scored a game-high 17 points in the Tommies' win over Concordia last Saturday. … UST got scoring from 15 different players in its win over the Cobbers. … Ryan Boll heads into Wednesday's game at Saint Mary's averaging a team-best 15.2 ppg. … Boll is one of three Tommies averaging in double figures—Schaeffer (13.2 ppg) and Michael Hanson (12.6 ppg) are the other two. … Boll has scored 20 or more points three times, including a season-high 25 against Pacific Lutheran on Nov. 18. … John Veil had a career-best 27 points against Bethel. He also dished out a career-high 12 assists in that same contest. … Boll also leads the team in rebounds with 84 (6.5 rpg), steals with 12, and blocks with eight. … Schaeffer is the team-leader in assists with 52. … The Tommies are shooting 47 percent from the field (385-for-822) through 14 games. … UST has knocked down 104 3-pointers this season, led by Hanson with 33. Hanson is one of five Tommies with 10 or more 3-pointers. … In a 2:00 span against Pacific Lutheran on Nov. 18, Michael Hannon sank four 3-pointers, grabbed a defensive rebound, and converted a conventional 3-point plays to collect 15 points in 120 seconds. … UST's 90 points in Saturday's 90-58 victory over Concordia were a season high, and marked the sixth time this season the Tommies have scored 80 or more points in a game—including three games in which St. Thomas finished with 83 points. … St. Thomas graduated three starters and two key reserves from its 30-3, national championship team from a year ago. Those five graduates combine to average 52.5 points and 23.0 rebounds a game last season. … UST entered the 2016-17 season having won 11 straight MIAC titles.