By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PETER, Minn. — After five straight home games, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team hits the road on Saturday, as the Cardinals head to Gustavus' Gus Young Court for a 3 p.m. conference showdown against the Gusties.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-2 MIAC, 4-3 Overall) at Gustavus Gusties (1-2 MIAC, 3-4 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—December 5, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Eli Cave (St. Paul, Minn.) and David Lindstrand (Lakeville, Minn.) each scored 19 points, as the Cardinals outscored Concordia 42-30 in the second half en route to a 71-64 MIAC win at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Gustavus—December 5, 2018 * St. Paul, Minn.: Gustavus shot a season-high 59 percent from the field, going 38-for-64 — including 10 of 22 from beyond the arc — as the Gusties gave coach Mark Hanson his 500^th career coaching win with an 87-50 win over Macalester at Leonard Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus — A Year Ago:
• November 29, 2017 * St. Peter, Minn.: Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) enjoyed a career night in his first MIAC appearance, pouring in a team-leading 16 points. Unfortunately, the Cardinal freshman's effort — not to mention a season-high 10 3-pointers — was not enough, as Gustavus handed Saint Mary's an 85-65 setback in the teams' conference-opener at Gus Young Court | Recap
• January 10, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals entered their conference showdown against Gustavus on the heels of a nail-biting, 67-64 loss to Concordia. And Saint Mary's was in for more nail biting against the Gusties. 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
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return home to the Saint Mary's Gym on Wednesday, as Saint Mary's hosts Saint John's in a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup.
• Gustavus: The Gusties hit the road on Wednesday, heading to Northfield, Minn., for a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown with St. Olaf at Skoglund Center.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Wednesday's matchup against Concordia was the fifth straight home game for the Cardinals. … With their 71-64 win over the Cobbers Wednesday, the Cardinals snapped a 27-game conference losing streak, dating back to a 75-70 win over Hamline on Feb. 1, 2017. … Eli Cave (St. Paul, Minn.) and David Lindstrand (Lakeville, Minn.) each scored 19 points to pace the Cardinals against Concordia Wednesday, while Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis.) also scored in double figures, finishing with 12 points. … Along with his 19 points, Cave also hauled in 11 rebounds — all on the defensive end — en route to his third double-double of the season. … Cave's 11 rebounds were one shy of his career-best 12-rebound effort, set against both Carleton on Dec. 1 and Luther on Nov. 24. … With his 19-point showing against Concordia, Cave has now scored 10 or more points in each of the Cardinals' first seven games — including 20 or more points three times. … Cave has led or shared the team lead in scoring in all seven games this season. … Cave poured in a season- and career-high 35 points in the Cardinals' nonconference win over Martin Luther on Nov. 17. … Cave's 35-point effort was the highest single-game performance since Michael Burfeind netted 38 against Concordia on Dec. 7, 2011. … Lindstrand's 19 points against the Cobbers Wednesday were a career-high. … Lindstrand becomes the fourth Cardinal to post a single-game career-high of 10 or more points this season, joining Cave (35), Jakob Bailey (Cameron, Wis. / 19), and Caden Freetly (Farmington, Minn. / 15). … Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) corralled a career-best 13 rebounds against Luther on Nov. 24. … Cave heads into Saturday's conference showdown at Gustavus averaging a team-best 20.9 ppg. … Cave is one of three Cardinals averaging in double figures through seven games — Freetly (10.3 ppg) and Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn. / 10.1 ppg) are the other two. … Along with his 20.9 ppg scoring average, Cave also leads the team in rebounds (58, 8.3 rpg) and assists (23). … Anthony-Bello (40 / 5.7 rpg) and Freetly (40, 5.7 rpg) have also collected 40 or more rebounds this season. … Bailey boasts a team-best eight blocked shots, while Cave and Jacob Chilson (Eau Claire, Wis.) share the team lead with six steals, one more than both Anthony-Bello and Freetly. … As a team, the Cardinals are shooting 42 percent from the field (171-for-412) and are 69-for-96 (71 percent) from the free throw line. … Saint Mary's has drained 71 3-pointers through seven games — including 11 Wednesday against Concordia. … The Cardinals knocked down 13 3-pointers in their season-opening win over Crown on Nov. 10. It was the most 3-pointers since pouring in 13 against Saint John's on Jan. 14, 2017. … Freetly and Gleason lead the team with 14 3-pointers, two more than Cave. … As a team, the Cardinals equaled their season high with 19 assists vs. Concordia Wednesday. Saint Mary's also posted 19 helpers against Luther on Nov. 24. … Saint Mary's is averaging 68.9 ppg, while the Cardinals' opponents are scoring at a 67.9 ppg clip … With their 71-64 win over Concordia Wednesday, nine of the Cardinals' last 10 games have been decided by 10 points or less. … Saint Mary's put four players in double figures against St. Olaf on Nov. 28. It was the second time this season the Cardinals have had four players scored 10 or more points in a game. … The Cardinals have scored 70 or more points in each of their four wins this season — including a season-high 79 points against Martin Luther on Nov. 17 — while being held to 60, 67, and 55 points in their three losses. … The Cardinals snapped a 19-game road losing streak with their season-opening 76-71 win at Crown on Nov. 10. … Saint Mary's 3-1 start was its best since the 2010-11 season, when the Cardinals opened 8-1. … With their 76-71 win over Crown on Nov. 10, the Cardinals have now won their season-opener in each of their last five seasons. … Saint Mary's season-opening win over Crown on Nov. 10 was the first collegiate coaching victory for Cardinal head coach Joe Fano. … Saint Mary's improved to 5-0 all-time against Martin Luther with last Saturday's 79-63 win.
 
Scouting The Gustavus Gusties:
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Last Wednesday's game at Macalester was the Gusties' third straight road game. Gustavus plays four of its next five games away from Gus Young Court — the lone exception, Saturday's matchup against Saint Mary's. … With Wednesday's 87-50 victory over Macalester, Gustavus coach Mark Hanson earned his 500^th career coaching win. Now in his 29th season, Hanson becomes the 16th active NCAA Division III men's basketball coach to reach the milestone with a record of 500-267. … The Gusties snapped a two-game losing streak with their 37-point win over Macalester Wednesday. … Gustavus put four players in double figures vs. the Scots Wednesday, led by Nolan Malo's career-high 23 points. C.J. Woda added 14, while Riley Sharbono and Vannis Smith each chipped in 10. … Malo's 23 points were not only a career-high, but also the highest single-game offensive performance of the season for the Gusties. … Sharbono has also eclipsed the 20-point plateau this season, scoring 22 points against Buena Vista on Nov. 20. … Sharbono, who has scored 10 or more points in six straight games, heads into Saturday's MIAC matchup against Saint Mary's averaging a team-best 14.1 ppg. … Gustavus boasts 10 players with 10 or more rebounds through seven games, led by Malo (34, 4.9 rpg) and Woda (31, 4.4 rpg). … Logan Rezac has recorded a team-leading 18 assists, one more than Spencer Tollefson and two in front of Isaac Douglas, while Douglas is the team's steals leader with four. … The Gusties are shooting 48 percent from the field (187-for-393) and have hit on 70 of 96 free throws (73 percent). … GAC has drained 64 3-pointers, led by Sharbono with 13 and Charlie Krambeer with 10. … The Gusties' 87 points in their 87-50 win over Macalester Wednesday were a season high, and marked the second time this year they have scored more than 80 points in a game. GAC also netted 81 in beating Central-Iowa 81-75 on Nov. 24. …