WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Monday, as the Cardinals entertain Macalester in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-10 MIAC, 5-12 Overall) vs. Macalester Scots (2-11 MIAC, 6-12 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 28, 2017 * St. Peter, Minn.: The first time the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team faced Gustavus this season, the Cardinals put an end to a 12-game losing streak against the Gusties, pulling out a thrilling 75-73 victory at the Saint Mary's Gym. The end to a losing streak once again awaited the victor when the two teams met again at GAC's Gus Young Court. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, this time around it was the Gusties who would end their losing ways, snapping a season-high six-game losing streak with a 68-65 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory | Recap
• Macalester—January 28, 2017 * Arden Hills, Minn.: Bethel outscored the Scots 16-10 down the stretch, as the league-leading Royals dealt Macalester an 85-79 setback at Robertson Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Macalester—Earlier This Year:
• January 4, 2017 * St. Paul, Minn.: Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.) scored Saint Mary's final six points—including the game-winning basket with 20 seconds remaining in regulation—to lift the Cardinals to a 76-74 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory at Leonard Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Macalester—A Year Ago:
• December 5, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: When Saint Mary's took to the court against Macalester, it had been 22 days since the last time the Cardinals had played in front of their home crowd—opening the season with an 83-66 victory over Crossroads College. And a little home cooking was just what the Cardinals needed. The Cardinals put five players in double figures—including a game-high 20 points from Connor Kaiser (Rockland, Wis.) and 19 from Quashingm Smith-Push (St. Paul, Minn.)—as Saint Mary's rolled to an 85-70 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over the Scots | Recap
• January 23, 2016 * St. Paul, Minn.: Saint Mary's kicked off the second half of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schedule the same way they ended the first half—with a win. Fueled by career-best performances by Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) and Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.), the Cardinals pulled away in the second half in handing the host Scots a 75-61 conference setback at Leonard Center | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are right back home at the Saint Mary's Gym on Wednesday, hosting Hamline in a 7 p.m. conference contest
• Macalester: The Scots are now off until Saturday, when they welcome Concordia to Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference matchup.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Monday's game against Macalester is the first of four straight home games for the Cardinals, who have picked up three of their five wins on their home court. … Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn.) poured in a team-high 19 points in the Cardinals' 68-55 loss to Gustavus Saturday. … Romportl has now led the team in scoring in each of the Cardinals' last three games. The senior netted 15 points against Carleton last Wednesday, and scored a team- and career-high 22 points in the Cardinals' loss at Concordia on Jan. 21. … Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) and Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) also scored in double figures against Gustavus Saturday, netting 10 points each. … Ferron owns a team-high three games of 20 or more points this season. The senior scored 22 points against Gustavus in the teams' first meeting on Dec. 10, equaled that 22-point effort against St. Thomas on Jan. 18, and netted a career-high 24 points against Augsburg on Jan. 11. … Ferron has scored in double figures in seven of the last nine games—and in 13 of the Cardinals' 17 games this season. … Smith-Pugh 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 in the teams' first meeting 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 on Jan. 14 were a career-best. … The Cardinals enter their conference game at Gustavus boasting three players averaging in double figures—Ferron (13.3 ppg), Smith-Pugh (11.8 ppg), and Romportl (11.3 ppg). … Ferron and Smith-Pugh are also the team's rebounding leaders with 120 (7.1 rpg) and 111 (6.5 rpg) rebounds, respectively. … Smith-Pugh leads the team in assists with 43, four more than Kruger. They are two of five Cardinals with 20 or more assists— Romportl (28), Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn. / 27), and Ferron (27) are the others. … Ferron is the team's steals leader with 16, one more than Romportl and two in front of Smith-Pugh. … 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 (437-for-1020) through 17 games, have knocked down 141 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 41 3-pointers—including five against Gustavus Saturday and four in each of the two games prior. … Saint Mary's has gotten at least one 3-pointer from all 15 players this season. … As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 73.2 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at an 80.8 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 contest 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 Macalester Scots:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Monday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of back-to-back road contests for the Scots, who have earned four of their six wins away from Leonard Center. Macalester will play four of its final six games at home, beginning Saturday against Concordia. … With their loss to league-leading Bethel Saturday, the Scots have lost two straight and are 2-3 in their last five games. … Macalester's last two wins have been by a combined nine points—a 70-65 win over Concordia on Jan. 16, and a 95-91 double-overtime win over Gustavus on Jan. 21. … Macalester boasted a pair of 20-point scorers against Bethel Saturday—Michael Gutierrez tallied 22 points, with Kareem Ismail chipping in 20. … Dylan Kilgour also scored in double figures against the Royals, finishing with 13 points. … The Scots head to Saint Mary's Monday boasting two players who are averaging in double figures—Gutierrez (21.6 ppg) and Ismail (15.7 ppg). … Gutierrez and Ismail have each scored more than 30 points in a game this season—Ismail netted 34 against Gustavus on Jan. 21, while Gutierrez poured in a season-high 40 against Hamline on Jan. 14. … Macalester has had a player eclipse the 20-point barrier in 15 of its 17 games this season. … Ismail is also the team's rebounding leader with 141 (7.8 rpg). … Gutierrez owns a team-leading 60 assists, with Ismail close behind with 54. … Kilgour has collected a team-high 13 steals, two more than both Gutierrez and Ismail, and three in front of Brett Olson. … As a team, Macalester is shooting 44 percent from the field (436-for-989) and have knocked down 143 3-pointers, led by Gutierrez (50) and Kilgour (33). … Macalester, which is averaging 72.1 ppg, has scored 80 or more points five times this season—including 92 against North Central on Nov. 15 and a season-high 95 against Gustavus on Jan. 21. … Macalester has played two overtime games this season—beating Coe 75-69 and Gustavus 95-91.