By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — Eli Cave (St. Paul, Minn.) has proven to be a one-man wrecking crew for the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team.
 
It's a safe bet that Concordia and Gustavus can attest to that.
 
Cave poured in whopping 48 points in Saint Mary's two Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games last week — both streak-snapping Cardinal victories.
 
And Cave's Herculean effort did not go unnoticed, as the Cardinal sophomore was named MIAC Athlete of the Week, the league office announced Monday.
 
Cave kicked off the week sharing the team scoring lead with 19 points, while also hauling in a team-best 11 rebounds in guiding the Cardinals to a 71-64 win over Concordia — and ending Saint Mary's 27-game conference losing streak, dating back to a 75-70 win over Hamline on Feb. 1, 2017.
 
Three days later, Cave was at it again, this time pouring in a game-high 29 points — including 27 in the second half — as the Cardinals collected their first victory in St. Peter, Minn., since the 1982-83 season, snapping a 35-game losing streak at Gustavus with an 86-81 win.
 
For the week, Cave finished 19-for-35 (54 percent) from the field, including 5 of 11 from behind the 3-point line, while also knocking down 5 of 10 free throws and hauling in 18 rebounds — 17 on the defensive end.
 
With his 19- and 29-point performances last week, Cave has now scored 10 or more points in all eight games this season — including netting 20 or more points four times.
 
Cave heads into Wednesday's conference showdown against nationally ranked Saint John's averaging a team-best 21.9 ppg, while also leading the team in rebounds (65, 8.1 rpg) and assists (27). His 19-point, 11-rebound showing against Concordia last Wednesday marked his third double-double of the season, and his 29-point effort against Gustavus last Saturday was just six points shy of his single-game career-high of 35, set earlier this season against Martin Luther on Nov. 17.