By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain Macalester in a 1 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-8 MIAC, 1-12 Overall) vs. Macalester Scots (0-8 MIAC, 1-12 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 10, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Gustavus knocked down four free throws in the game's final 35 seconds and held off a furious final seconds in dealing Saint Mary's a 69-62 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Macalester—January 10, 2018 * Northfield, Minn.: Wyatt Ferm scored a game-high 20 points, but it was not enough to carry the Scots past St. Olaf, as the Oles handed Macalester an 89-71 conference setback at Skoglund Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Macalester—A Year Ago:
• January 4, 2017 * St. Paul, Minn.: Saint Mary's made its second trip to St. Paul in the last three days when it squared off against Macalester. And for the second time in as many trips, the Cardinals were in a knock-down, drag-out battle right up to the final buzzer. Unlike Monday's heartbreaking 89-86 setback to Hamline, however, this time around, the Cardinals found some late-game, Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.) magic. Gleason 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
 • 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
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as Saint Mary's heads to Carleton's West Gym in Northfield, Minn., for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Knights.
• Macalester: The Scots take to the road on Wednesday, traveling to Saint John's Sexton Arena in Collegeville, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference matchup against the Johnnies.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Macalester is the third of three straight home games for the Cardinals. … The Cardinals have collected five of their last seven wins on their home court. … With their 69-62 loss to Gustavus Wednesday, the Cardinals have now dropped back-to-back games decided by seven points or less. Saint Mary's suffered a 67-64 setback to Concordia on Monday. … Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) scored a team-high 13 points and Jakob Bailey (Cameron, Wis.) added 12 in the Cardinals' loss to Gustavus Wednesday. … Bailey poured in a career-high 18 points in the Cardinals' 67-64 loss to Concordia last Monday. … Saint Mary's has had eight players record single-game career highs of 10 or more points this season—Cullen (24), Bailey (18), Anthony-Bello (16), David Lindstrand (Lakeville, Minn. / 15), Nate Urell (Fountain City, Wis. / 14), Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis. / 12), Christian Oliveras (Bolingbrook, Ill. / 11), and Kristjan Meitz (Waukesha, Wis. / 10). … The Cardinals put a season-high five players in double figures in their 86-76 loss to Concordia-Chicago on Nov. 25. … Along with his 14 points against Concordia-Chicago on Nov. 25, Anthony-Bello also hauled in a career-best 11 rebounds en route to his first collegiate double-double—and the Cardinals' first double-double of the season. … Anthony-Bello enters Saturday's matchup against Macalester averaging a team-best 10.4 ppg, with Bailey close behind at 9.5 ppg. … Anthony-Bello is the team's rebounding leader with 59 (4.5 rpg), five more than Bailey (54, 4.2 rpg) … Lindstrand boasts a team-high 27 assists. He is one of three players with 20 or more assists through 13 games—Bailey (23) and James Cullen (Western Springs, Ill. / 23) are the other two. … Anthony-Bello owns a team-high 18 steals, while Bailey has accounted for 11 of the team's 25 blocked shots. … The Cardinals equaled their season high with 10 3-pointers against Concordia on Monday. Saint Mary's also knocked down 10 3-pointers in their first meeting with Gustavus on Nov. 29. … As a team, Saint Mary's has drained 85 3-pointers through 13 games, led by Cullen with 23 and Anthony-Bello with 22. … As a team, the Cardinals are shooting 39 percent from the field (287-for-738), while knocking down 139 of their 195 free throws (71 percent). … With their 89-75 win over Martin Luther on Nov. 15, 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. … The Cardinals' 89 points vs. Martin Luther on Nov. 15 marked their highest offensive performance of the season, and the most points scored 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 Macalester Scots:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Saturday's game at Saint Mary's is the second of three straight road games for the Scots, who are still searching for their first win away from Leonard Center this season (0-5). … Macalester's 89-71 loss to St. Olaf Wednesday pushed their losing streak to a season-high 10 straight. The Scots have not won since beating Northland 71-64 on Nov. 27. … With Wednesday's loss to St. Olaf, the Scots have allowed 89 or more points in each of their last eight games—including a stretch of six consecutive games in which they surrendered 100 or more points. … During that six-game stretch, Macalester lost to Saint John's (114-96), Carleton (101-76), Loras (165-89), Coe (114-66), St. Thomas (120-74), and Hamline (118-96). … In their 165-89 loss to Loras on Dec. 29, the Scots allowed 100 first-half points and trailed 100-41 at the break. … Wyatt Ferm scored a team- and game-high 20 points in Macalester's loss to St. Olaf Wednesday. Ferm also delivered a team-leading eight rebounds. … Ferm's 20-point effort against the Oles marks the third time this season he has scored 20 or more points in a game. Ferm also owns games of 26 points vs. Northland on Nov. 27 and 31 points against St. Thomas on Jan. 3. Jackson Henningfield chipped in a 20-point performance against Hamline on Jan. 6. … Ferm enters Saturday's game against Saint Mary's averaging a team-best 15.5 ppg, while Henningfield is also averaging in double figures at 11.9 ppg. … Henningfield is the team's rebounding leader with 75 (5.8 rpg), five more than Ferm (70, 5.4 rpg). … Ferm also leads the Scots in assists (33) and steals (20), while Henningfield owns  a team-leading 14 blocks, four more than Ferm. … The Scots are averaging 71.7 ppg, and have recorded three games of 89 or more points—including a pair of 96-point efforts. On the flip side, Macalester's opponents are scoring at a 97.8 ppg clip.