By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team closes out the regular-season portion of its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schedule on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain Hamline in a 1 p.m. contest at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-19 MIAC, 1-23 Overall) vs. Hamline Pipers (8-11 MIAC, 12-12 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program | Senior Salute (PDF * HTML)
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—February 14, 2018 * St. Paul, Minn.: The Cardinals gave St. Thomas all it could handle, jumping out to a five-point, 41-36 halftime advantage, only to have the Tommies rally outscore Saint Mary's 34-20 over the game's final 20 minutes in recording the hard-earned 70-61 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win at Schoenecker Arena | Recap
• Hamline—February 14, 2018 * St. Paul, Minn.: The Pipers closed out the home portion of their schedule on a winning note, rolling to an 82-71 conference win over Concordia at Hutton Arena | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Hamline—Earlier This Year:
• January 20, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Hamline raced out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back, as the Pipers dealt the Cardinals an 87-53 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Hutton Arena | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Hamline—A Year Ago:
• January 2, 2017 * St. Paul, Minn.: In both of their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meetings against Hamline a year ago, Saint Mary's used big second halves to pull away from the Pipers. Unlike those previous two meetings—not to the mention a nail-biting first half—however, there would be no "pulling away" this time around. And, unfortunately for coach Jamison Rusthoven, there would be no Cardinal victory, either. Hamline scored seven of the game's final nine points to hand the Cardinals an 89-86 conference setback at Hutton Arena | Recap
• February 1, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals, coming off a heartbreaking 78-76 loss to Macalester—in which the Scots scored the game's final six points, including the game-winner with 0.7 seconds remaining—were clinging to a one-point, 69-68 advantage with 24.2 seconds left in regulation in their showdown with Hamline. Saint Mary's was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line over those final 24.2 seconds in holding off Hamline 75-70 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saturday's showdown is the regular-season finale for both the Cardinals and the Pipers.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Hamline is the final collegiate game for Cardinal seniors James Cullen (Western Springs, Ill.) and Brandon Retzlaff (Elroy, Wis.). … Wednesday's game at St. Thomas was the final road game of the season for the Cardinals. Saint Mary's has collected five of their last seven wins on their home court. … With their 70-61 loss to St. Thomas Wednesday, the Cardinals' last three games have all been decided by nine points or less—Saint Mary's also dropped an 86-77 decision to Concordia on Feb. 7, before falling 81-80 to Macalester three days later. … Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) scored a career-high 20 points for the second straight game in the Cardinals' loss to St. Thomas Wednesday. … The Cardinals have now had a player score a career-high of 20 or more points in three straight games—Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis.) recorded a career-high 23 points in the Cardinals' 86-77 loss at Concordia on Feb. 7, while Anthony-Bello netted the first of his back-to-back career-best 20-point efforts against Macalester last Saturday. … Anthony-Bello is the second Cardinal with two games of 20 or more points this season, and the third Cardinal to score 20 or more points in a game this season. Rosner has also achieved that feat twice—scoring 23 points vs. Concordia on Feb. 7 and netting 20 against Carleton on Jan. 17—while Cullen 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 three Cardinals to score in double figures against St. Thomas Wednesday, being joined by Jakob Bailey (Cameron, Wis. / 13) and Rosner (11). … 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), David Lindstrand (Lakeville, Minn. / 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 Saturday's season finale against Hamline averaging a team-best 10.8 ppg, followed closely by Anthon-Bello (10.3 ppg) and Bailey (9.6 ppg). … Bailey and Anthony-Bello have each cracked the 100-rebound plateau, sharing the team lead with 106 boards each (4.4 rpg). … Lindstrand boasts a team-high 55 assists. He is one of five players with 20 or more assists through 24 games—Bailey (35), Bradley Hill (Matteson, Ill. / 32), Cullen (29), and Anthony-Bello (29) are the other four. … Anthony-Bello has compiled a team-high 31 steals, while Bailey (19) and Anthony-Bello (14) have accounted for 33 of the team's 55 blocked shots. … As a team, Saint Mary's has drained 143 3-pointers through 24 games, led by Anthony-Bello (40) and Cullen (34). … 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 39.4 percent from the field (535-for-1359), while knocking down 266 of their 378 free throws (70.4 percent). … Saint Mary's drained a season-high 25 free throws against St. Thomas Wednesday. … 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 Hamline Pipers:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• With their win over Concordia Wednesday, the Pipers finished 7-4 at home this season and head to Saint Mary's boasting a 5-8 showing away from Hutton Arena. … Hamline heads into Saturday's finale against Saint Mary's looking to close out the season above .500 for the second straight season. … Hamline boasted four players in double figures against Concordia Wednesday, led by Zach Smith with 25 points. Isaac Brooks added 16 points, followed by Nick Powell (13) and Dylan See-Rockers (11). … Smith or See-Rockers has led the team in scoring in each of the Pipers' last five games. … Smith's 25-point effort against Concordia Wednesday marked the seventh time this season HU has had a player score 20 or more points in a game. … Smith owns the Pipers' top two individual scoring performances, netting 31 points against Williams on Dec. 29, before pouring in a season-high 34 against Macalester on Jan. 6. … The Pipers head into Saturday's season finale with three players—Smith (15.2 ppg), Brooks (13.3 ppg), and See-Rockers (12.6 ppg)—averaging in double figures. … See-Rockers is the team's rebound leader with 126 (5.3 rpg), followed closely by Brooks with 110 (4.6 rpg). … Along with his team-leading 15.2 ppg scoring average, Smith has also put up team-best numbers in assists (102) and steals (36). … Hamline has recorded 56 blocked shots, led by Ethan Scheuring with 24. … The Pipers are shooting 46.1 percent from the field (628-for-1363) and have recorded 178 3-pointers. … HU has three players who have netted 20 or more 3-pointers this season—See-Rockers (43), Smith (29), and T.C. Robinson (20)—while 14 different Pipers have drained at least one trey. … Hamline is averaging 71.5 ppg, while the Pipers' opponents are scoring at a 69.3 ppg clip. … HU's 82-71 win over Concordia Wednesday marked the seventh time this season the Pipers have scored 80 or more points this season. … Hamline has eclipsed the 100-point mark twice, beating Northwestern 106-72 on Nov. 15, while scoring a season-best 118 points in outscoring Macalester 118-96 on Jan. 6. … The Pipers have eclipsed the 70-point barrier just once this season, beating North Central 76-41 on Nov. 18.