By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
DECORAH, Iowa — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team steps out of conference play on Saturday, heading to Luther College for a 3 p.m. nonconference showdown against the Norse.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-1 Overall) at Luther Norse (4-3 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's — November 26, 2019 * Saint Mary's Gym * Winona, Minn.: No. 14 Saint John's knocked down 37 of 45 free throws, as the Johnnies dealt the Cardinals their first loss of the season, a 77-63 conference decision | Recap
• Luther — November 26, 2019 * Wild Athletic Center * St. Bonifacius, Minn.: The Norse put together a 16-5 second-half run, breaking open a two-point game and leading Luther to a 91-83 nonconference win over Crown | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Luther — A Year Ago:
• November 24, 2018 * Saint Mary's Gym * Winona, Minn.: Eli Cave (St. Paul, Minn.) finished with a team-high 19 points and added a career-best 12 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double, and the Cardinals held off a late Luther rally in edging the Norse 74-72 | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to MIAC play next Saturday, entertaining Concordia in a 1 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• Luther: The Norse are right back in action on Monday, heading to McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa, for a 6 p.m. exhibition game against the University of Northern Iowa.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• After three straight home games, Saturday's contest against Luther is the first road test of the season for the Cardinals. … Last Tuesday's loss to No. 14 Saint John's snapped the Cardinals' season-opening two-game winning streak. … Eli Cave (St. Paul, Minn.) scored a game-high 23 points against the 12th-ranked Johnnies last Tuesday. It was the sixth straight game in which the junior has eclipsed the 20-point barrier — having netted 24 points against Crown on Nov. 15, 21 against St. Olaf on Nov. 23, and closing out the 2018-19 season scoring 29, 36, and 23 points. … Cave has eclipsed the 20-point barrier 13 times in his collegiate career. … Cave's 36-point effort against Macalester on Feb. 9, 2019 was a career-high and the highest single-game performance since Chris Palmer scored 37 against Bethel on Dec. 6, 2010. … Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) also finished in double figures against Saint John's last Tuesday, netting a season-high 11 points. … Cave was one of five Cardinals to score 10 or more points in the Cardinals' 80-74 win over St. Olaf on Nov. 23, being joined by Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn. / 14), Shawn Pickford (Minneapolis, Minn. / 11), Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill.), and Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis. / 10). … Cave enters Saturday's nonconference game against Luther leading the team in scoring, averaging 22.7 ppg — second in the MIAC. … Rosner (10.8 ppg) is also averaging in double figures heading into the Luther game. … Along with his team-leading 22.7 ppg scoring average, Cave also leads the team in rebounds with 20 (6.7 rpg) — including 18 on the defensive end — assists with 11, steals with seven, and blocked shots with seven. … Anthony is second to Cave with 15 boards (5.0 rpg), while Anthony-Bello is third with 11 (3.7 rpg). … Saint Mary's, which drained a single-season school record 233 3-pointers last season — including a single-game school-record 14 against Gustavus on Dec. 5 — knocked down 10 3-pointers against St. Olaf on Nov. 23 and has now connected on 10 or more 3-pointers in a game 16 times in the last two seasons. … Cave owns a team-best nine 3-pointers, followed by Gleason with seven, and Rosner and Anthony-Bello with five each. … As a team, Saint Mary's is 77-for-178 (.433) from the field — including 30-for-76 (.395) from behind the arc — and is 27-for-41 (.659) from the free throw line. … With its 80-74 win over St. Olaf on Nov. 23, Saint Mary's snapped a 12-game losing streak against the Oles. It was the Cardinals' first win over St. Olaf since Jan. 16, 2013, when Saint Mary's posted a 66-57 victory. … The Cardinals' 80-point effort against St. Olaf on Nov. 23 was a season high, and the seventh time in the last two seasons they have netted 80 or more points in a game. … With their 68-52 win over Crown Nov. 15, the Cardinals have now beaten Crown in their season-opener in back-to-back years — Saint Mary's season-opening win over Crown a year ago was the first collegiate coaching victory for Joe Fano. … Thanks to its 68-52 win over Crown on Nov. 15, Saint Mary's is now 6-0 in its last six season-openers.
 
Scouting The Luther Norse:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Saturday's showdown against Saint Mary's is the fourth home game of the season for the Norse, who have played four of their last five contests on the road. … Saint Mary's is the second opponent from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the Norse, who beat Macalester 80-77 in their season-opener on Nov. 10. … Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the final nonconference game of the season for Luther. … Luther's 91-83 win over Crown last Tuesday snapped its two-game losing streak. … Luther put five player sin double figures against Crown last Tuesday. James Kappus led the Norse with 19 points, followed by Gage Thompson (18), Garrian Wade (14), Aaron Blumberg (12), and Ethan Ilunga (11). … Luther heads into Saturday's matchup against Saint Mary's boasting three players who owns scoring averages of 10 or more points — Blumberg (11.7), Wade (11.1), and Kappus (10.6). … Ray Whitlock is the team's rebound leader with 46 (6.6 rpg), followed by Wade with 44 (6.3), and Thompson with 26 (3.7 rpg). … Whitlock is also the team-leader in assists with 14, two more than Kappus, while also boasting a team-best 16 steals. … The Norse are shooting .403 percent from the field (177-for-439) and are 97-for-143 (.678) from the free throw line. … Luther has hit on 66 of 190 3-point attempts, led by Blumberg with 15, and Wade and Kappus with eight each. … The Norse are averaging 73.9 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at a 74.9 ppg clip. … With last Tuesday's win over Crown, Luther has now scored 80 or more points in three of its first seven contests — including a season-high 94-point effort against Maranatha Baptist on Nov. 12.