By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals travel to Macalester's Leonard Center for a 1 p.m. matchup against the Scots.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-17 MIAC, 1-21 Overall) at Macalester Scots (1-16 MIAC, 2-20 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—February 7, 2018 * Moorhead, Minn.: Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis.)  turned in a career performance in the Cardinals' showdown against Concordia. And for the second time in as many meetings, the Cardinals stood toe-to-toe with the Cobbers right to the final bell. Unfortunately, as was the case in their first meeting, it was the Cobbers who escaped with the victory, surviving the Cardinals' late second-half rally—not to mention Rosner's career-high 23 points—to deal Saint Mary's an 86-77 setback at Memorial Auditorium | Recap
• Macalester—February 7, 2018 * St. Peter, Minn.: The Gusties scored 56 first-half points—just three shy of Macalester's offensive point total for the game—and never looked back in rolling to a 103-59 conference win over the Scots at Gus Young Court | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Macalester—Earlier This Year:
• January 13, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Macalester used its relentless full-court pressure defense and high-octane offense to deal the Cardinals a 116-87 conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | 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 St. Thomas' Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Tommies.
• Macalester: The Scots are back on their home court for the final time this season on Wednesday, as Macalester entertains Bethel in a 7 p.m. showdown at Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Macalester is the second of three straight road games for the Cardinals, who play at St. Thomas next Wednesday, before returning home for their season finale against Hamline next Saturday. Saint Mary's has collected five of their last seven wins on their home court. … Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis.) scored a career-high 23 points in the Cardinals' 86-77 loss at Concordia Wednesday. Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) and Jakob Bailey (Cameron, Wis.) also scored in double figures vs. the Cobbers with 14 and 10 points, respectively. … Rosner has now led the team in scoring in three of their last five games. … Rosner's 23-point effort against Concordia Wednesday marked the second time this season the freshman has reached the 20-point mark—Rosner tallied a then-career-high 20 points in the Cardinals' 87-68 loss to Carleton on Jan. 17. … Rosner now owns two of the team's three highest single-game offensive outputs. James Cullen (Western Springs, Ill.) poured in a 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. … The Cardinals boast eight players who have recorded single-game career-highs of 10 or more points this season—Cullen (24), Rosner (23), Bailey (18), Anthony-Bello (16), David Lindstrand (Lakeville, Minn. / 15), Brady Stevens (St. James, Minn. / 12), Christian Oliveras (Bolingbrook, Ill. / 11), and Kristjan Meitz (Waukesha, Wis. / 10). … Rosner enters Saturday's matchup at Macalester averaging a team-best 10.4 ppg, followed closely by Anthon-Bello (9.5 ppg) and Bailey (9.3 ppg). … Bailey is the team-leader in rebounds with 97 (4.4 rpg), three more than Anthony-Bello (94, 4.3 rpg). … Lindstrand boasts a team-high 46 assists. He is one of five players with 20 or more assists through 22 games—Bailey (33), Bradley Hill (Matteson, Ill. / 30), Cullen (29), and Anthony-Bello (27) are the other four. … Anthony-Bello owns a team-high 27 steals, while Bailey (17) and Anthony-Bello (13) have accounted for 30 of the team's 50 blocked shots. … As a team, Saint Mary's has drained 132 3-pointers through 22 games, led by Cullen and Anthony-Bello with 33 each. … 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. … The Cardinals are shooting 39.1 percent from the field (490-for-1253), while knocking down 226 of their 323 free throws (70 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 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 Macalester Scots:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Saturday's matchup against Saint Mary's is the first of back-to-back home games for the Scots, who are 1-9 on their home court this season, while going 1-11 on the road. … The Scots' loss to Gustavus Wednesday pushed their losing streak to eight straight—dating back to a 116-87 win over Saint Mary's in the teams' first meeting on Jan. 13. … Macalester's 103-59 loss at Gustavus Wednesday marked the sixth time during their current eight-game losing streak—and the 12^th time this season—that the Scots have surrendered 100 or more points in a game. … Macalester has allowed 120 or more points four times this season, including a season-high 165 points in a 165-89 loss to Loras on Dec. 29. … In their 165-89 loss to Loras, the Scots allowed 100 first-half points and trailed 100-41 at the break. … Jackson Henningfield and Ian Joseph accounted for 30 of the team's 59 points in Macalester's 103-59 loss to Gustavus Wednesday. Henningfield netted a team-high 18 points, while Joseph chipped in 12. … The Scots enter Saturday's game against Saint Mary's boasting two players—Wyatt Ferm (15.4 ppg) and Henningfield (14.9 ppg)—averaging in double figures. … Brett Olson and Aidan Toner-Rodgers are both third on the team in scoring, each averaging 7.3 ppg. … Ferm has recorded Macalester's top two single-game scoring performances, netting 27 points against Saint Mary's in the teams' first meeting on Jan. 13, while scoring a season-best 31 against St. Thomas on Jan. 3. … Henningfield is the team's rebounding leader with 141 (6.4), while also owning a team-best 35 blocked shots. … Macalester has five players with 20 or more assists, including three—Ferm (35), Brett Olson (35), and Nikhil Smith (33)—with 30 or more helpers. … As a team, Macalester is shooting 37.5 percent from the field (573-for-1528) and has made 187 3-pointers. … Seventeen different players have netted at least one 3-pointer for the Scots this season, led by Toner-Rodgers (29), Henningfield (23), Nathan Davies (22), and Olson (20). … Macalester is averaging 74.4 ppg, but the Scots' opponents are scoring at a whopping 101.1 ppg clip.