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 Hamline in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-11 MIAC, 5-13 Overall) vs. Hamline Pipers (8-6 MIAC, 11-8 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 30, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals, behind the red-hot shooting of Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.), equaled their 55-point effort of the previous two games with 15 minutes still to play in the second half against the Scots, and went on to finish the evening with 76 points—their fifth-highest offensive performance of the season. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, that 76-point effort fell two points short, as Macalester netted the game's final six points—including the game-winning basket with 0.7 seconds remaining in regulation—to deal Saint Mary's a heartbreaking 78-76 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Hamline—January 30, 2017 * Northfield, Minn.: The Pipers outscored St. Olaf by 14 points  over the game's final 20 minutes in beating the Oles 65-57 at Skoglund Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Hamline—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. Hamline—A Year Ago:
• January 20, 2016 * St. Paul, Minn.: Saint Mary's was good in the first half of its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Hamline. They were even better in the second half. The Cardinals, clinging to a one-point, 26-25 lead after the game's opening 20 minutes, shot a blistering 62.5 percent from the field in the second half—knocking down 10 of their 16 field goal attempts—in pulling away from the Pipers for a 70-59 conference win at Hutton Arena | Recap
• February 17, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's University collected its seventh Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win of the season—the most conference victories since the Cardinals went 7-13 during the 2009-10 season. And the Cardinals' three seniors—playing in their final collegiate home games—all played an instrumental role. Connor Kaiser (Rockland, Wis.) and Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) each scored 11 points, while Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) tossed in eight points and added seven rebounds and four assists, as the Cardinals pulled away in the second in half in beating Hamline 74-61 at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on their home court at the Saint Mary's Gym on Saturday, hosting St. Olaf in a 3 p.m. conference contest.
• Hamline: The Pipers hit the road on Saturday, traveling to Gustavus' Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn., for a 3 p.m. MIAC matchup with the Gusties.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against Hamline is the second of four straight home games for the Cardinals, who have picked up three of their five wins on their home court. … The Cardinals' 78-76 loss to Macalester Monday marked the second straight meeting between the two teams that was decided by two points. Saint Mary's beat the Scots 76-74 in their first meeting on Jan. 4. … Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) equaled his career high with 24 points against Macalester Monday. The senior also scored 24 points against Augsburg on Jan. 11. … Eighteen of Ferron's career-best 24 points vs. the Scots Monday came in the first half. … Ferron now owns a team-high four games of 20 or more points. Along with his 24-point efforts against Macalester and Augsburg, the senior also scored 22 points against Gustavus in the teams' first meeting on Dec. 10, and equaled that 22-point effort against St. Thomas on Jan. 18. … Ferron has scored in double figures in eight of the last 10 games—and in 14 of the Cardinals' 18 games this season. … Bradley Hill (Matteson, Ill.) and Eli Cave (St. Paul, Minn.) also scored in double figures against the Scots on Monday, netting 13 points each. … Quashingm Smith-Pugh—who scored nine points and added a team-best 10 rebounds against Macalester Monday—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. … Smith-Pugh also owns four double-doubles this season—and five in his two-year Cardinal career. … Ferron hauled in career-high 13 rebounds in the Cardinals' 75-73 win over Gustavus on Dec. 10. … 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. … Cave 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 against Hamline boasting three players averaging in double figures—Ferron (13.9 ppg), Smith-Pugh (11.6 ppg), and Aaron Romportl (Stillwater, Minn. / 11.1 ppg). … Ferron and Smith-Pugh are also the team's rebounding leaders with 124 (6.9 rpg) and 121 (6.7 rpg) rebounds, respectively. … Smith-Pugh leads the team in assists with 48, eight in front of Kruger. They are two of five Cardinals with 20 or more assists— Romportl (32), 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 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 (464-for-1073) through 18 games, have knocked down 146 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 43 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 73.3 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at an 80.7 ppg clip. … The Cardinals erupted for 106 points in their 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 have scored 80 or more points four times this season. … Saint Mary's game against Augsburg on Jan. 11 was its first overtime contest of the season—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 Hamline Pipers:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Wednesday's game at Saint Mary's is the second of three straight road games for the Pipers, who play five of their last seven contests on the road. … Hamline boasts a 6-3 record on the road this season, while going 5-5 on their home court at Hutton Arena. … The Pipers' 65-57 win over St. Olaf Monday snapped their four-game losing streak. … Zach Smith and Dylan See-Rockers led the Hamline offense against St. Olaf Monday, scoring 21 and 17 points, respectively. … Smith scored 17 of his game-high 21 points in the game's final 20 minutes. … See-Rockers' 17-point effort against the Oles was a season high. … Smith has now led the team in scoring in each of the Pipers' last three games and in 14 of their 19 games this season. … Smith owns the team's top three offensive performances—scoring 28 points against both St. Thomas and Northland, while pouring in a season-high 32 against UW-Superior on Nov. 18. … Hamline heads into Wednesday's showdown against Saint Mary's boasting two players who are averaging in double figures—Smith (18.7 ppg) and Jay Betts (11.2 ppg). … Kalu Abosi owns a team-leading 85 rebounds (4.5 rpg), four more than Smith (4.3 rpg). … Smith is also the team's leader with 70 assists, while Betts has amassed a team-high 46 steals. … The Pipers are shooting 47 percent from the field (512-for-1077) through 19 games and have knocked down 112 3-pointers. … Hamline boasts five players with 10 or more 3-pointers, led by Betts with 23 and Smith with 22. … Hamline has drained 284 of its 367 free throws (77 percent). … The Pipers, who are averaging 74.7 ppg, have scored 80 or more points seven times, including a pair of 89-point performances and a season-high 92-point effort in a 92-83 win over Macalester on Jan. 14. … Hamline has played one overtime game this season, falling to Saint John's 86-84 on Jan. 18.