By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director

DECORAH, Iowa — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team hits the road on Saturday, traveling to Luther for a 3 p.m. nonconference matchup with the Norse.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-0 Overall) at Luther Norse (0-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—November 15, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: James Cullen (Western Springs, Ill.) poured in a career-high 24 points to lead four players in double figures, as the Cardinals kicked off the season with an 89-75 nonconference win over Martin Luther at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Luther—November 15, 2017 * Decorah, Iowa: Rahul Bagga and Jared Nicolaisen scored 15 and 11 points, respectively, but UW-La Crosse proved to be too much, as the Eagles dealt the Norse a 94-64 season-opening setback | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Luther—A Year Ago:
• November 26, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) and Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) ignited a second-half onslaught that led the Cardinals to their second win in as many games, as Saint Mary's beat visiting Luther 74-62 in a nonconference game at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on the road on Tuesday, as Saint Mary's heads across town to Winona State's McCown Gymnasium for an 8 p.m. exhibition game against the NCAA Division II Warriors.
• Luther: The Norse hit the road for the first time this season on Tuesday, traveling to Mankato, Minn., for a 7 p.m. nonconference game against Bethany Lutheran.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• With Wednesday's 89-75 win over Martin Luther, the Cardinals have now opened their season with a win in each of their last four seasons—including back-to-back years with season-opening victories over the Knights. … Five of the Cardinals' last seven wins have come on their home court. … Saint Mary's had four players score in double figures in its win over Martin Luther Wednesday—with all four post career-high performances. James Cullen (Western Springs, Ill.) led the way, pouring in a career-best 24 points—two more than his previous high of 22 scored against Carnegie Mellon a year ago. David Lindstrand (Lakeville, Minn.) and Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis.) each posted career-bests with 12 points each, while Jakob Bailey (Cameron, Wis.) chipped in 10. … The Cardinals boasted nine players who recorded single-game career highs of 10 points or more last season. … The Cardinals, who drained 186 3-pointers—just three 3-pointers shy of the school record of 189 set during the 1995-96 season—finished with seven treys against Martin Luther Wednesday, three from Cullen and two each from Lindstrand and Rosner. … The Cardinals' 89 points vs. Martin Luther Wednesday marked their highest offensive outburst since erupting for 106 points in a 111-106 loss to Augsburg on Jan. 11. The 106 points were just four shy of the school-record 110 points, set against UM-Duluth during the 1952-53 season. … The Cardinals scored 80 or more points four times last season.
 
Scouting The Luther Norse:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the second straight home contest for the Norse, who dropped a 94-64 decision to UW-La Crosse on Wednesday, and were just 1-8 on their home court a year ago. … The Norse are coming off a 4-19 season a year ago, including a 2-14 showing in IIAC play. … Rahul Bagga and Jared Nicolaisen scored 15 and 11 points, respectively, in Luther's 94-64 loss to UW-La Crosse Wednesday. … UW-La Crosse's 94 points Wednesday marked the fourth time in the last two seasons Luther has surrendered 90 or more points in a game. The Norse surrendered 90 or more points three times—including a 106-60 loss to Nebraska Wesleyan and a 105-70 setback vs. Central-Iowa. … Nicolaisen was the only player to average in double figures for the Norse last season, finishing at 11.6 ppg. Kevin Stafford finished with a 9.0 ppg scoring average, with Markelll Lucas third at 8.0 ppg. … Nicolaisen led the team in scoring in 11 of the Norse's 23 games. … Luther had a player score 20 or more points in a game four times last season—Nicolaisen netted 22 points twice, while Stafford chipped in games of 21 and 20 points. … Christian Wright was Luther's top rebounding in 2016-17, collecting 123 boards (5.3 rpg), while Lucas (106, 4.6 rpg) also hauled in more than 100 rebounds last season. … Luther boasted five players with 20 or more assists a year ago, led by Stafford (42), and Spencer Sturges (34). … The Norse knocked down 166 3-pointers and had five players—Wright (29), Nicolaisen (22), James Kappus (22), Luke Palmer (20), and Ray Whitlock (20)—with 20 or more treys. … Luther averaged 63.3 ppg, while the Norse opponents scored at a 74.5 ppg clip. … As a team, the Norse netted 70 or more points five times last season—including a game-high 87 points in 90-87 loss to Loras on Nov. 30, 2016.