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 Wednesday, as the Cardinals entertain St. Olaf in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-11 MIAC, 1-15 Overall) vs. St. Olaf Oles (7-4 MIAC, 11-5 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 20, 2018 * St. Paul, Minn.: Hamline raced out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back, as the Pipers dealt the Cardinals an 87-53 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Hutton Arena | Recap
• St. Olaf—January 20, 2018 * Northfield, Minn.: Nate Albers went 6-for-6 from 3-point range and 7-for-8 from the field for a game-best 20 points, as St. Olaf rolled to a 98-62 MIAC home victory over Concordia at Skoglund Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Olaf—Earlier This Year:
• December 13, 2017 * Northfield, Minn.: St. Olaf erupted for 51 first-half points, shooting a sizzling 64.5 percent from the field—draining 20 of 31 attempts from the field, including seven 3-pointers—and never cooled off in dealing the Cardinals an 85-49 setback at Skoglund Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Olaf—A Year Ago:
• January 16, 2017 * Northfield, Minn.: When Saint Mary's and St. Olaf squared off a year ago, both matchups went down to the wire—with each game decided by eight points or less. And when the two teams met Monday evening at Skoglund Center, the end result was no different. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, for the third straight meeting, it was the Oles who escaped with the nail-biting victory, as St. Olaf used a 16-7 run over the game's final 4:30 to deal Saint Mary's a 79-71 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback | Recap
• February 4, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: St. Olaf used a 10-2 run to push its four-point lead to 10, 62-52—and the Oles would knock down six consecutive free throws down the stretch to seal their 74-63 victory over the Cardinals at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, entertaining Augsburg in a 1 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• St. Olaf: The Oles return home to Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn., on Saturday, hosting Gustavus in a 1 p.m. conference showdown.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against St. Olaf is the first of three straight home games for the Cardinals. Saint Mary's has collected five of their last seven wins on their home court. … Jakob Bailey (Cameron, Wis.) netted a team-high 14 points against Hamline last Saturday, while Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis.) chipped in 11. … Bailey has now scored 10 or more points in six straight games. … Rosner scored a team- and career-high 20 points in the Cardinals' 87-68 loss to Carleton last Wednesday. … The Cardinals boast nine players who have recorded single-game career-highs of 10 or more points this season—Cullen (24), Rosner (20), Bailey (18), Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill. / 16), David Lindstrand (Lakeville, Minn. / 15), Nate Urell (Fountain City, Wis. / 14), Brady Stevens (St. James, Minn. / 12), Christian Oliveras (Bolingbrook, Ill. / 11), and Kristjan Meitz (Waukesha, Wis. / 10). … With his 20-point showing against Carleton last Wednesday, Rosner became the second Cardinal to reach the 20-point plateau this season—Cullen poured in a team-, season- and career-best 24 points against Martin Luther on Nov. 15. … 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. … Bailey enters Wednesday's matchup against St. Olaf averaging a team-best 10.3 ppg, while Rosner (9.5 ppg), Anthony-Bello (9.4 ppg), and Cullen (9.3 ppg) are all averaging more than nine points. … Bailey is the team's rebounding leader with 71 (4.4 rpg), four more than Anthony-Bello (67, 4.2 rpg) … Lindstrand boasts a team-high 34 assists. He is one of four players with 20 or more assists through 16 games—Cullen (26), Bailey (25), Bradley Hill (Matteson, Ill. / 22), and Anthony-Bello (21) are the other three. … Anthony-Bello owns a team-high 21 steals, while Bailey has accounted for 12 of the team's 33 blocked shots. … The Cardinals equaled their season high with 10 3-pointers against Concordia on Jan. 8. 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 106 3-pointers through 16 games, led by Cullen with 30 and Anthony-Bello with 26. … As a team, the Cardinals are shooting 40 percent from the field (370-for-918), while knocking down 160 of their 232 free throws (69 percent). … The Cardinals put a season-high five players in double figures in their 86-76 loss to Concordia-Chicago on Nov. 25. … The Cardinals' 87 points in their 116-87 MIAC loss to Macalester on Jan. 13 marked the second time this season Saint Mary's has eclipsed the 80-point barrier. The Cardinals scored 89 points in a season-opening 89-75, season-opening win over Martin Luther on Nov. 15. … The Cardinals' 89 points vs. Martin Luther 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. … 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.
 
Scouting The St. Olaf Oles:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• The Oles head into Wednesday's showdown at Saint Mary's having played their last two games on their home. St. Olaf, which boasts a 6-1 record at Skoglund Center this season, follows up Wednesday's game vs. the Cardinals with four more home contests. … With their win over Concordia, the Oles have won back-to-back games and three of their last four. … With their win over Concordia last Saturday, the Oles moved into a five-way tie for third place in the race for one of the MIAC's six playoff berths. … Bob Albers poured in a game-high 20 points—thanks to 6 of 8 shooting from behind the 3-point line—while Robert Tobroxen (14), Austin Korba (13), and Nolan Bruesehoff (10) also scored in double figures vs. the Cobbers. … St. Olaf set a school record with 19 made 3-pointers vs. Concordia—it was the most 3-pointers by a team in the MIAC all season. … St. Olaf also recorded a season-high 32 assists against the Cobbers. … The Oles head into Wednesday's match against Saint Mary's boasting four players averaging in double figures—Albers (14.1 ppg), Korba (13.6 ppg), Tobroxen (13.0 ppg), and Troy Diggins Jr. (10.9 ppg). …  Albers' 20-point effort against Concordia marked the sixth time this season St. Olaf has had a player net 20 or more points in a game. Korba has achieved the feat three times (20, 22, and 23 points), while Albers has done it twice (20, 20), and Tobroxen owns a season-best 30-point effort against Bethel on Jan. 3. … Tobroxen is the team's rebounding leader with 98 (6.1 rpg), four more than Korba (5.9 rpg). … St. Olaf has four players—Korba (44), Tobroxen (39), Dominic Bledsoe (36), and Diggins Jr. (35)—with 30 or more assists. … Tobroxen also leads the team in steals (22) and blocks (18). … St. Olaf is shooting 45.6 percent from the field (411-for-901) and have drained 133 3-pointers through 16 games. … Korba has knocked down a team-best 27 3-pointers and is one of six Oles with more than 10 treys this season. … As a team, the Oles are averaging 70.8 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at a 65.7 ppg clip. … St. Olaf has scored 80 or more points five times—including a pair of games eclipsing the 90-point mark. The Oles beat Bethany Lutheran 92-81 on Dec. 4, and scored a season-best 98 points in last Saturdya's 98-62 win over Concordia.