By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
NEW ULM, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday, as the Cardinals square off against Martin Luther in a 3 p.m. nonconference game.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-1 Overall) at Martin Luther Knights (2017-18: 4-21 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—November 9-10, 2018 * St. Bonifacius, Minn./La Crosse, Wis.: The Cardinals kicked off the season on a winning note, scoring the game's final five points — including a 3-pointer from Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.) that broke a 71-71 tie — in beating Crown 76-71 last Saturday. Saint Mary's was not able to come up with the late-game heroics the following evening, however, falling to UW-La Crosse 70-60 | Crown Recap * UW-L Recap
• Martin Luther: Saturday's nonconference game against Saint Mary's is the season-opener for the Knights.
 
Saint Mary's vs. Martin Luther — Their Last Meeting:
• November 15, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: Led by James Cullen's (Western Springs, Ill.) career-high 24 points, the Cardinals secured an early lead and never relinquished the advantage, securing a 89-75 season-opening nonconference win over Martin Luther at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in action on Tuesday, when they play host to NCAA Division II Winona State in a 7 p.m. exhibition game at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• Martin Luther: The Knights are back on their home court in New Ulm, Minn., on Monday, entertaining Lakeland in a 7 p.m. nonconference contest.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• With their 76-71 win over Crown last Saturday, the Cardinals have now won their season-opener in each of their last five seasons. … Last Saturday's win over Crown was the first collegiate coaching victory for Cardinal head coach Joe Fano. … Saint Mary's heads into Saturday's nonconference showdown against Martin Luther having beaten the Knights in all four of their previous meetings — including an 89-75 win a year ago. … The Cardinals' 89 points vs. Martin Luther last year not only marked their highest offensive performance of the season, but it was the most points scored since erupting for 106 in a 111-106 loss to Augsburg on Jan. 11, 2017. The 106 points were just four shy of the school-record 110 points, set against UM-Duluth during the 1952-53 season. … Eli Cave (St. Paul, Minn.) was the Cardinals' leading scorer in both games last weekend, as the sophomore — who missed all of last season with an injury — scored a then-career-high 18 points in the Cardinals' win over Crown, before bettering that mark by two with a 20-point effort in Saint Mary's loss to UW-La Crosse. … Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis.) chipped in 17 points and Caden Freetly (Farmington, Minn.) added a career-best 13 in the Cardinals' season-opening win over Crown, while Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) added 18 points to Cave's 20 in Saint Mary's loss to UW-La Crosse the following day. … Cave heads into Saturday's nonconference showdown at Martin Luther averaging 19.0 ppg, while Anthony-Bello (13.0 ppg) and Rosner (11.5 ppg) are also averaging in double figures. … Cave leads the team in rebounds with 12 (6.0 rpg), one more than Anthony-Bello (11, 5.5 rpg) and two in front of Freetly (10, 5.0 rpg). … As a team, the Cardinals are shooting 43 percent from the field (49-for-114) and have knocked down 21 3-pointers. … The Cardinals drained 13 3-pointers in their season-opening win over Crown last Saturday. It was the most 3-pointers since pouring in 13 against Saint John's on Jan. 14, 2017. … Anthony-Bello and Rosner share the team lead with five 3-pointers each, with Freetly and Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.) each adding four). … Five of the Cardinals' last six games have been decided by 10 points or less. Along with last Saturday's five-point win over Crown (76-71) and 10-point loss to UW-La Crosse (70-60), the Cardinals closed out last year with nine point losses to Concordia (86-77) and St. Thomas (70-61), and a one-point setback vs. Macalester (81-80). … Saturday's game at Martin Luther is the third straight road game for the Cardinals, who snapped a 19-game road losing streak with last Saturday's 76-71 win at Crown.
 
Scouting The Martin Luther Knights:
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2017-18 Final Statistics
• The Knights enter Saturday's season-opening against Saint Mary's on the heels of a 4-21 season a year ago, including a 2-14 showing in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC). … Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of back-to-back home games for the Knights, who play six of their first eight games on their home court. MLC picked up three of its four wins last season at home. … Martin Luther, which was picked to finish eighth in the UMAC Preseason Coaches Poll, returns all five of its starters and its top eight scorers from a year ago. … Ian Paulsen closed out 2017-18 leading the Knights in scoring (13.7 ppg), rebounds (170 / 7.4 rpg), assists (76), steals (39), and blocked shots (39). … Paulsen was one of four MLC players to end the season averaging in double figures, being joined by Austin DeNoyer (12.9 ppg), T.J. Babinec (12.1 ppg), and Richard Eckmann (10.5 ppg). … Paulsen owned the Knights' single-game season high with 30 points against UW-Superior on Dec. 16. DeNoyer (twice) and Babinec each tossed in season-high efforts of 24 points. … Eckmann also closed out the season second to Paulsen in rebounds with 139 (5.6 rpg). … Martin Luther shot 39 percent from the field last season (639-for-1632) and drained 183 3-pointers. … Nate Lindloff and Eckmann led the Knights' 3-point barrage, pouring in 49 and 40 treys, respectively. … Fourteen of MLC's 15 players netted at least one 3-pointer a year ago. … Martin Luther averaged 66.2 ppg, while the Knights' opponents scored at an 82.6 ppg clip. … The Knights eclipsed the 80-point barrier twice last season — netting 83 against North Central on Dec. 6 and a season-high 85 against Lakeland on Nov. 19. On the flip side, MLC surrendered 100 or more points on two separate occasions — allowing 103 in a loss to UM-Morris on Jan. 10 and giving up 105 in falling to Calvin on Dec. 1.