By
DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
WINONA, Minn. — Prior to the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team's conference showdown against Bethel, the Cardinals honored junior
Eli Cave (St. Paul, Minn.) on becoming the 27th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
And Cave promptly began his quest for another 1,000 against the Royals.
Cave poured in a team-high 18 points and
Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill.) chipped in 12, as the Cardinals survived a cold-shooting start to the second half and made all the key shots down the stretch in posting a 63-59 win at the Saint Mary's Gym.
With the win, the Cardinals evened their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference record at 8-8 and, more importantly, solidified their stranglehold on one of the six MIAC Tournament spots. With the win, the Cardinals — bidding for their first-ever conference tournament berth — climbed to fifth in the standings, a half-game in front of Gustavus (8-9) and a full game up on St. Olaf (7-9) with four MIAC games to play.
Bethel scored the game's first bucket on a 3-pointer by Jack Jenson, but that would be the only time the Royals would lead, as
Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.) delivered six unanswered points — and the Cardinals were on their way.
Saint Mary's scored 10 straight points as part of a 12-1 run late to take its biggest lead of the half, 33-19, with two minute on the clock. The Cardinals would equal that 14-point lead at 35-21, before Bethel ended the half scoring four of the final five points to cut the Saint Mary's advantage to 11, 36-25, at the break.
The Cardinals could not find their rhythm coming out of the break, as Bethel rattled off 11 straight points to knot the game at 36-36 with 13:35 to play in regulation.
The Royals would pull even three more times — including 48-48 with 6:40 on the clock — but the Cardinals would not let Bethel play with the lead. The Cardinals held five-point leads of 53-48, 55-50, 57-52, and 59-54 — the last with three minutes remaining.
Bethel made one final push, whittling the lead to two, 61-59, on a pair of free throws, but the Cardinals held firm, getting to free throws from
Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis.) with 6.9 seconds to play to seal the victory.
Cave and Anthony were the only players to score in double figures for the Cardinals, who shot 44.4 percent from the field — with three 3-pointers — and were 12 of 15 from the free throw line.
Bethel, which was led by Isaiah Carver-Bagley's game-high 23 points, hit on 20 of 57 field goal attempts (35.1 percent) — and were just 8 of 31 from behind the arc — while knocking down 9 of 12 free throws.
The Cardinals (8-8 MIAC, 11-10 overall) — who now own 11 wins for the first time since the 1999-2000 season — are back on their home floor on Wednesday, playing host to Carleton in a key conference showdown at the Saint Mary's Gym. Opening tip is set for 7 p.m. The Royals (11-5 MIAC, 14-7 overall), meanwhile, return home to Robertson Center Gym in Arden Hills, Minn., on Wednesday, squaring off against St. Thomas in a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup.
