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 Wednesday, as the Cardinals travel to St. Thomas' Schoenecker Arena for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Tommies.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-18 MIAC, 1-22 Overall) at St. Thomas Tommies (11-7 MIAC, 13-10 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—February 10, 2018 * St. Paul, Minn.: Macalester, clinging to a one-point lead in the waning seconds, missed back-to-back free throws—and the Cardinals hauled in both rebounds—but Saint Mary's could not take advantage, missing its final three field goal attempts in dropping a heartbreaking 81-80 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference decision at Leonard Center | Recap
• St. Thomas—February 10, 2018 * Northfield, Minn.: St. Olaf's Frank Delaney had 14 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks as the Oles extended their winning streak to nine with a 66-57 win over the Tommies at Skoglund Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Thomas—Earlier This Year:
• February 10, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: It took an extra week—thanks to last week's snowstorm—but Saint Mary's finally got to square off against St. Thomas in the first of two MIAC games between the two teams over the next 16 days. And for 20 minutes, the Cardinals gave the high-powered Tommies all they could handle. Over the final 20 minutes, however, St. Thomas was virtually unstoppable, scoring 59 second-half points—while limiting the Cardinals to just 19—in handing Saint Mary's a 100-48 conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Thomas—A Year Ago:
• January 18, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: Fueled by an 8-2 run to open the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest, the Tommies raced out to a 50-25 lead at the half and never let the Cardinals closer than 17 over the game's final 20 minutes in handing Saint Mary's a 100-65 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• February 15, 2017 * St. Paul, Minn.: Saint Mary's gave playoff-bound St. Thomas all it could handle—and then some. In fact, the Cardinals trailed by just four, 44-40 midway through the second half, and were within striking distance late in regulation—only to have Grant Shaeffer score 10 points in a 12-5 St. Thomas run that lifted the Tommies to a 65-57 victory at Schoenecker Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals close out the regular-season portion of their schedule on Saturday, returning home to the Saint Mary's Gym for a 1 p.m. conference matchup against Hamline.
• St. Thomas: The Tommies entertain Saint John's at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minn., in the teams' regular-season finale on Saturday. Opening tip is slated for 1 p.m.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Wednesday's game at St. Thomas is the final road game of the season for the Cardinals, who return home for their season finale against Hamline on Saturday. Saint Mary's has collected five of their last seven wins on their home court. … The Cardinals last two games have both been decided by nine points or less—Saint Mary's dropped an 86-77 decision to Concordia last Wednesday, before falling 81-80 to Macalester three days later. … Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) scored a career-high 20 points in the Cardinals' one-point loss to Macalester last Saturday. … Anthony-Bello is the second player in as many games to post a career-high of 20 or more points in a game—Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis.) recorded a career-high 23 points in the Cardinals' 86-77 loss at Concordia last Wednesday. … Anthony-Bello is the third Cardinal to score 20 or more points in a game this season. Rosner has achieved that feat twice—scoring 23 points vs. Concordia last Wednesday and netting 20 against Carleton on Jan. 17—while James Cullen (Western Springs, Ill.) owns the team's single-game season high with a career-best 24-point showing against Martin Luther on Nov. 14. … Anthony-Bello was one of four Cardinals to score in double figures against Macalester last Saturday, being joined by Rosner (16), Jakob Bailey (Cameron, Wis. / 14), and David Lindstrand (Lakeville, Minn. / 10). … The Cardinals boast eight players who have recorded single-game career-highs of 10 or more points this season—Cullen (24), Rosner (23), Anthony-Bello (20), Bailey (18), Lindstrand (15), Brady Stevens (St. James, Minn. / 12), Christian Oliveras (Bolingbrook, Ill. / 11), and Kristjan Meitz (Waukesha, Wis. / 10). … Anthony-Bello owns the team's lone double-double this season, scoring 14 points and adding a career-best 11 rebounds against Concordia-Chicago on Nov. 25. … Rosner enters Wednesday's matchup at St. Thomas averaging a team-best 10.8 ppg, followed closely by Anthon-Bello (9.9 ppg) and Bailey (9.5 ppg). … Bailey is the team-leader in rebounds with 101 (4.4 rpg), three more than Anthony-Bello (98, 4.3 rpg). … Lindstrand boasts a team-high 50 assists. He is one of five players with 20 or more assists through 23 games—Bailey (34), Bradley Hill (Matteson, Ill. / 32), Cullen (29), and Anthony-Bello (29) are the other four. … Anthony-Bello has compiled a team-high 29 steals, while Bailey (19) and Anthony-Bello (14) have accounted for 33 of the team's 54 blocked shots. … As a team, Saint Mary's has drained 135 3-pointers through 23 games, led by Anthony-Bello (35) and Cullen (33). … 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 39.6 percent from the field (521-for-1315), while knocking down 241 of their 344 free throws (70.1 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 have scored 80 or more points three times this season—including both meetings against Macalester. Along with last Saturday's 80-point effort in an 81-80 loss to the Scots, Saint Mary's netted 87 points in its first meeting with Macalester on Jan. 13, while scoring a season-high 89 in an 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 St. Thomas Tommies:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of back-to-back home games to close out the regular season for the Tommies, who are 7-1 on their home court this season, while going 6-9 away from Schoenecker Arena. … St. Thomas' 66-57 loss at St. Olaf last Saturday was its second straight setback. The Tommies' have now lost back-to-back games three times this season. … Despite last Saturday's loss to St. Olaf, the Tommies still locked up one of the six MIAC Playoff berths. In fact, all six tickets have been punched for the conference's post-season field. UST (11-7) joins regular-season champion Saint John's (17-1), St. Olaf (14-4), Bethel (12-6), Augsburg (12-7), and Carleton (11-7). … Ryan Boll scored a team-high 18 points and Michael Hannon added 12 in UST's loss to St. Olaf—a game the Tommies never led. … The Tommies enter Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's boasting three players—Grant Shaeffer (16.3 ppg), Boll (14.3 ppg), and Hannon (12.8 ppg)—averaging in double figures. … Boll has posted the Tommies' top three single-game scoring performances—netting 27 against Carleton on Feb. 5, 28 vs. Concordia on Nov. 29, and a season- and career-high 39 against Marietta on Nov. 18. … Boll is the team-leader in rebounds with 156 (6.2 rpg), with Shaeffer also reaching the 100-rebound plateau with 112 (4.7 rpg). … Schaefer has amassed a team-best 111 assists, while Jordan Burich is the team-leader in steals with 22. … Burich has also recorded in 39 of the Tommies' 82 blocked shots. … As a team, the Tommies are shooting 47.2 percent from the field (752-for-1593 and have drained 196 3-pointers. … Hannon has rained in a team-lead 68 3-pointers, while Schaeffer (35), John Veil (25), and Connor Baier (25) have also delivered 25 of more treys. … St. Thomas is averaging 74.8 ppg, while limiting its opponents to a 67.7 ppg scoring average. … The Tommies have scored 90 or more points five times—including three games in which they eclipsed the 100-point mark. UST topped Saint Mary's 100-48 in the teams' first meeting on Jan. 29, while netting 120 and 122 in its two meetings against Macalester.