MOORHEAD, 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 Concordia's Memorial Auditorium for a 3 p.m. showdown with the Cobbers.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-7 MIAC, 5-9 Overall) at Concordia Cobbers (5-5 MIAC, 8-7 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 18, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: St. Thomas, fueled by an 8-2 run to open the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest, raced out to a 50-25 lead at the half and never let the Cardinals closer than 17 over the game's final 20 minutes in handing Saint Mary's a 100-65 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Concordia—January 18, 2017 * Moorhead, Minn.: Dylan Alderman sank a layup at the buzzer to lift the Cobbers to a 72-70 win over league-leading Bethel at Memorial Auditorium | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia—Earlier This Year:
• December 3, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's got double-figure scoring from both Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) and Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.), but could not overcome a cold-shooting second half, as Concordia handed the Cardinals their first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference loss of the season, 82-67, Saturday afternoon at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia—A Year Ago:
• January 13, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) led a trio of Saint Mary's players in double figures—and Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) recorded his first double-double of the season—but the Cardinals could not keep pace with Concordia, as the Cobbers erupted for 45 second-half points and slowly pulled away in handing Saint Mary's an 81-65 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• February 8, 2016 * Moorhead, Minn.: Saint Mary's found themselves in the role of spoiler against Concordia in the teams' conference matchup—and the Cardinals played it to perfection. Saint Mary's rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit—thanks in part to the clutch, long-range shooting of James Cullen (Western Springs, Ill.)—as the Cardinals knocked off Concordia 56-55 at Memorial Auditorium, and kept the Cobbers from locking up an MIAC Playoff berth | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on the road on Wednesday, traveling to Northfield, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference game against Carleton.
• Concordia: The Cobbers are back on their home court at Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn., on Wednesday, hosting Gustavus in a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Saturday's game at Concordia is the first of three straight road contests for the Cardinals, who have picked up a pair of wins in eight road games this season. … Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) scored a team-high 22 points in the Cardinals' loss to St. Thomas on Wednesday. … Ferron, who has led the team in scoring in back-to-back games—having netted 19 against St. Olaf last Monday—owns three games of 20 or more points this season. The senior also scored 22 against Gustavus on Dec. 10, and netted a career-high 24 points against Augsburg on Jan. 11. … Ferron has scored in double figures in six straight games—and in 12 of the Cardinals' 14 games this season. … Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) scored a career-high 30 points in the Cardinals' 111-106 overtime loss to Augsburg on Jan. 11. … 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. … The Cardinals, who have put four players in double figures in two of their last four 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 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 at Concordia boasting a pair of players averaging in double figures—Ferron (14.9 ppg) and Smith-Pugh (12.4 ppg). … Ferron and Smith-Pugh are also the team's rebounding leaders with 108 (7.7 rpg) and 98 (7.0 rpg) rebounds, respectively. … Kruger leads the team in assists with 36. He is one of five Cardinals with 20 or more assists—Smith-Pugh (35), Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn. / 27), Ferron (26), and Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn. / 24) are the others. … Ferron is the team's steals leader with 14, one more than Smith-Pugh and two in front of 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 (370-for-857) through 14 games, have knocked down 121 3-pointers—including 10 or more six times. … The Cardinals equaled their season high with 13 3-pointers against Saint John's on Jan. 14—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, 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 76.1 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at a 81.9 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. … The Cardinals' 79-71 loss to St. Olaf last Monday marked the third straight meeting between the two teams that was decided by eight points or less. … With their 75-73 win over Gustavus on Dec. 10, the Cardinals put 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 Concordia Cobbers:
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 Cobbers, who are 5-2 at Memorial Auditorium this season. … Wednesday's 72-70 win over league-leading Bethel snapped Concordia's two-game losing streak. … The Cardinals' two-game slide marked the first time this season the Cobbers have lost back-to-back games. … Three of Concordia's eight wins have been by three points or less—99-96 over Valley City State, 74-73 vs. Saint John's, and 72-70 over Bethel. … Concordia put four players in double figures against Bethel Wednesday, led by Kevin Wolfe, who came off the bench to score 14. Dylan Alderman added 13—including the game-winning layup at the buzzer—while Austin Heins and Austin Rund each chipped in 11. … The 14 points by Wolfe and 11 by Rund were career highs. … Heins added 10 rebounds to his 11 points against Bethel Wednesday en route to his first collegiate double-double. It was also the first double-double by a Cobber this season. … Concordia boasts three players who are averaging in double figures, led by Austin Nelson at 14.7 ppg. Alderman (14.1 ppg) and Heins (10.0 ppg) are the other two. … Nelson has led the team in scoring seven times—including three of the Cobbers' last four games. … Nelson and Alderman have each posted a 27-point game this season, while Nelson also owns the team's highest single-game performance, netting 28 against UM-Morris on Nov. 15. … Zach Kinny is the team's rebounding leader with 78 (5.1 rpg). He is one of five Cobbers with 60 or more boards through 15 games. … Kinny owns a team-best 86 assists, while Alderman owns a team-leading 12 steals and Guilherme Saad is the team-leader in blocks with seven. … As a team, the Cobbers are shooting 49 percent from the field (406-for-834) and have knocked down 102 3-pointers. … Nelson is the team's 3-point sharpshooter, draining 33 treys, while Saad (16), Kinny (15), and Dawson Peterson (12) have also rained in 10 or more 3-pointers this season. … CC is scoring at a 73.5 ppg clip, while allowing 75.3 ppg. … The Cobbers have scored 80 or more points five times, including a season-high 99 points in a 99-96 overtime win over Valley City State on Dec. 30. … Concordia held a 37-34 lead at the half against Bethel Wednesday. It was the eighth time in 15 games this season the Cobbers have led at the break. CC is 7-1 in those eight contests.