NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as the Cardinals travel to Carleton's West Gym for a 7 p.m. showdown against the Knights.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-8 MIAC, 5-10 Overall) at Carleton Knights (5-6 MIAC, 8-8 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 21, 2017 * Moorhead, Minn.: Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) enjoyed his most productive offensive performance in a Saint Mary's uniform against Concordia. Unfortunately, Saint Mary's could not parlay Romportl's career-high 22-point effort into a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory, as Concordia held off a furious late rally in dealing the Cardinals a 73-68 setback at Memorial Auditorium | Recap
• Carleton—January 21, 2017 * Northfield, Minn.: Four Knights finished in double figures led by Kent Hanson's 18-point effort off the bench, as Carleton claimed a 73-58 victory over conference-leading Saint John's at West Gym | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Carleton—Earlier This Year:
• November 30. 2-16 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's buried a season-high 12 3-pointers—including nine in the first half—and held off a late Carleton charge to beat the Knights 74-67 at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Carleton—A Year Ago:
• December 16, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: No matter what Saint Mary's tried, they could not find a way to cool off hot-shooting Carleton. The Knights shot a blistering 52 percent from the field—and knocked down eight of their 14 3-point attempts—in handing the Cardinals a 71-48 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• January 30, 2016 * Northfield, Minn.: It was a streak-snapping kind of day for the Cardinals. Kai Endahl (Mendota Heights, Minn.) led a trio of Cardinal players with a career-high 13 points, as Saint Mary's put an end to a two-game losing streak—and a six-game slide against Carleton—with a 57-52 victory over the Knights at West Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals play their third straight road game on Saturday, heading to Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference matchup against Gustavus.
• Carleton: The Knights take to the road on Saturday, traveling to Hamline's Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn., for a 3 p.m. MIAC showdown with the Pipers.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Wednesday's game at Carleton is the second of three straight road contests for the Cardinals, who have picked up a pair of wins in nine road games this season. … Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) scored a team- and career-high 22 points in the Cardinals' loss at Concordia last Saturday. It was the second time in as many games the Cardinals boasted a 22-point scorer—Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) netted 22 against St. Thomas last Wednesday. … Cole Kruger (Hayfield, Minn.) also scored in double figures vs. the Cobbers, finishing with 13 points. … With his 22 points against St. Thomas last Wednesday, Ferron 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 of the last seven games—and in 12 of the Cardinals' 15 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 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, Kruger 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 on Jan. 14 were a career-best. … The Cardinals enter their conference game at Concordia boasting three players averaging in double figures—Ferron (14.3 ppg) and Smith-Pugh (11.9 ppg), and Romportl (10.5 ppg). … Ferron and Smith-Pugh are also the team's rebounding leaders with 112 (7.5 rpg) and 104 (6.9 rpg) rebounds, respectively. … Kruger and Smith-Pugh lead the team in assists with 37. They are two of five Cardinals with 20 or more assists—Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn. / 27), Ferron (26), and Romportl (26) are the others. … Ferron is the team's steals leader with 16, three more than Smith-Pugh and four in front of Kruger and Romportl. … 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 (397-for-921) through 15 games, have knocked down 128 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 32 3-pointers—including four against Concordia last Saturday. … Saint Mary's has gotten at least one 3-pointer from all 15 players this season. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 75.6 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at a 81.3 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 on Jan. 16 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 Carleton Knights:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the third straight home game for the Knights, who are 6-4 at West Gym this season. … The Knights' 73-58 over league-leading Saint John's was their fourth straight win. … Carleton owns a 15.7 margin of victory during its current four-game winning streak. … Seven of Carleton's eight losses have been by 10 points or less—including two decided in overtime. … The Knights' 79-60 win over Gustavus snapped their season-high five-game losing streak. … Carleton put four players in double figures in their win over Saint John's last Saturday, led by Kent Hanson, who came off the bench to score 18. Beau Smit added 13 points, while Kevin Grow added 12 and Mitchell Biewen chipped in 10. … Hanson has now led the Knights in scoring in two of their last three games. … Carleton has had a player score 20 or more points six times—including a season-best 30-point effort from Grow against Hamline on Dec. 10. … The Knights enter Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's boasting three players—Grow (15.9 ppg), Smit (10.5 ppg), and Biewen (10.5 ppg)—averaging in double figures. … Grow is also the team's rebounding leader, amassing 172 boards (10.8 rpg). … Carleton has had a player eclipse the 10-rebound barrier in 13 of its 16 games. … Quinn Johnson is the team's assist leader with 75—he is one of nine Knights with 10 or more helpers this season. … Hanson owns a team-best 23 steals, while Freddie Gillespie has collected a team-leading 43 blocked shots. … The Knights are shooting 46 percent from the field (402-for-872) and have drained 78 3-pointers. … Biewen is the team-leader with 32 3-pointers, followed by Smith (23) and Peter Bakker-Arkema (16). … Carleton is averaging 68.6 ppg, with its opponents scoring at a 64.1 ppg clip.