By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — Coming off a 103-point performance in an overtime win over Luther on Nov. 30, the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team managed just 69 points in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Concordia Saturday.
 
And 69 points was more than enough.
 
Fueled by a stifling defense — and four players in double figures — the Cardinals had little trouble dispatching of the visiting Cobbers, rolling to a 69-54 win at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
Concordia scored the game's first six points, but all that seemed to do is make the Cardinals mad, as Saint Mary's scored 14 of the next 18 points to grab a 14-10 lead.
 
And the Cardinals were just getting warmed up.
 
Saint Mary's would  build its advantage to 12 twice — the first at 29-17 on a basket by Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) and the second at 31-19 on a basket by Eli Cave (St. Paul, Minn.) — only to have Concordia whittle the lead down to seven, 34-27 late in the half.
 
Unfazed, Saint Mary's answered with a pair of from Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis.) and a bucket by Anthony-Bello to push the lead to 11, 38-27 at the break.
 
The Cardinals put the game out of reach early in the second half, outscoring CC 20-11 to grab a 20-point, 58-38 advantage — and the Cobbers would not get closer than 13 the rest of the way.
 
Eli Cave (St. Paul, Minn.) scored a team-high 15 points for the Cardinals, while Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) chipped in 14, and Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill.) each finished with 11. Anthony also hauled in a team-leading 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double.
 
The Cardinals hit on 27 of 57 field goal attempts (47.4 percent) with eight 3-pointers and an 7 of 13 effort from the free throw line. The Concordia, meanwhile, shot 37.9 percent from the field (22-for-58) with five 3-pointers, while going a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.
 
Bryden Line scored a game-high 18 oints and Camden Arndt added 12 for the Cobbers.
 
The Cardinals (2-1 MIAC, 4-1 overall) hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to Macalester's Leonard Center for a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown with the Scots. The Cobbers (0-3 MIAC, 2-5 overall) return home to Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn., on Wednesday, entertaining Carleton in a 5 p.m. conference tilt.