SAINT MARY'S CARDINALS 

(3-3 MIAC, 4-4 OVERALL)

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MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR CRUSADERS

(4-1 ASC, 8-1 OVERALL)

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LAST MEETING: First-ever meeting

SAINT MARY'S LAST ACTION:

Dec. 28, 2021 ° Superior * W, 83-78

MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR LAST ACTION: 

Dec. 29, 2021 ° Pacific Lutheran * W, 56-53

SAINT MARY'S UP NEXT:

Jan. 3, 2022 * Crown * Winona, MN * 7:00

MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR UP NEXT: 

Jan. 3, 2022 * Concordia-TX * Belton, TX * 7:00

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their final game of the D3hoops.com Classic against #19 Mary Hardin-Baylor sitting at 4-4 overall, while boasting a 3-3 record in conference play.

• LAST ACTION: The Cardinals, who had been off since Dec. 11, got 22 points and 14 rebounds from Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill.) and career-high scoring performances from Noah Frechette (Lakeville, Minn.) and Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill.) en route to an 83-78 win over UW-Superior in their first game of the D3hoops.com Classic Tuesday.

• BACK ON THE ROAD: The Cardinals head into Thursday’s game against #19 Mary Hardin-Baylor having played just two of their first eight games on their home court, going 1-1. The Cardinals are 3-2 on the road this season.

• CLOSE CALLS: Saint Mary’s 83-78 win over UW-Superior on Tuesday marked the sixth time in their last seven contests that the game was decided by 10 points or less. Along with Tuesday’s five-point win over the Yellowjackets, the Cardinals also own two-point wins over Macalester (63-61) and St. Scholastica (68-66), and a three=point win over St. Olaf (63-60), while the SMU’s two losses were a three-point setback vs. Hamline (67-64) and a 10-point loss against Saint John’s (73-63) in a game that was a four-point contest with 2:30 to play in regulation.

• GREATER THAN 20: Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill.) has scored 20 or more points in four of the six games he’s played this season — netting 22 against UW-Superior on Tuesday, 23 against Saint John’s on Dec. 1, 24 vs. St. Olaf on Dec. 8, and a career-high 35 against St. Scholastica on Dec. 4. Anthony has now scored 20 or more points 10 times in his career.

• CARRYING THE LOAD: Anthony’s career-high 35-point performance against St. Scholastica on Dec. 4 accounted for more than half of the Cardinals’ 68 points — and was the team’s highest single-game performance since Eli Cave scored 35 against Martin Luther on Nov. 18, 2018. 

• DOUBLING UP: Anthony picked up his second double-double of the season against UW-Superior on Tuesday, scoring 22 points and adding a career-high 14 rebounds. He missed his first collegiate triple-double by one assist. Anthony’s other double-double this season was a 35-point, 10-rebound effort against St. Scholastica on Dec. 4. Anthony has now posted six double-doubles in his three-year collegiate career.

• LEADING THE CHARGE: Anthony — who has scored 10 or more points in all six games he’s played — enters SMU’s nonconference game against Mary Hardin-Baylor averaging 22.5 ppg. Anthony, whose 22.5 ppg average is second in the MIAC behind Augsburg’s Joe Palmer (23.5 ppg), has led the team in scoring in each of its last five games. … Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) is sitting at 9.6 ppg, followed by Frechette (7.6 ppg), Caden Freetly (Farmington, Minn. / 7.3 ppg), and Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis. / 7.0 ppg).

• WEEKLY HONOR: Fueled by his 23- and 35-point performances on Dec. 1 & 4, Anthony was named MIAC Athlete of the Week on Dec. 6. It was the second time in his collegiate career that Anthony has been named MIAC AOW.

• CAREER PERFORMANCES: Frechette and Mallory each posted career-high scoring performances against UW-Superior on Tuesday, with Frechette netting 16 points, while Mallory finished with 10. Saint Mary’s has now had seven players who have recorded single-game career-highs of 10 or more points this season — Anthony (35 v. St. Scholastica), Frechette (16 v. UW-Superior), Ziegler 15 v. Hamline), Hunter Phillips (Minong, Wis. / 13 v. Martin Luther), Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / 11 v. St. Olaf), Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill. / 11 v. Macalester), and Mallory (10 v. UW-Superior).

• PLENTY OF OPTIONS: All 10 SMU players who saw playing time against Bethel on Dec. 11 scored at least two points. … Eleven of the 12 Cardinals who took the court against Augustana on Nov. 16 recorded at least two points. … Saint Mary’s put four players in double figures against Saint John’s on Dec. 1. Anthony led the way with 23 points, while Ziegler chipped in 12, and Freetly and Anthony-Bello each added 10.

• ON THE GLASS: Along with his team-leading 22.5 ppg scoring average, Anthony also leads the team in rebounds with 55 (9.5 rpg). Anthony-Bello is second with 34 boards (5.7), while Freetly is third with 29 (4.1 rpg). … Saint Mary’s has recorded 36 or more rebounds in seven of its first eight games — including a season-high 43 against both Hamline and Macalester.

• GOING DEEP: The Cardinals drained a season-high 12 3 pointers against Saint John’s on Dec. 1, led by Anthony and Ziegler with three each. … SMU’s 12 3-pointers were just two shy of the single-game school record. … Saint Mary’s has knocked down 62 3-pointers through eight games, led by Ziegler with 13 — including five en route to his career-high 15-point performance against Hamline on Nov. 23 — and Anthony-Bello with 10. … SMU boasts 11 players who have recorded at least one 3-pointer this season.

• LENDING A HAND: Saint Mary’s has dished out 92 assists in its first six games, including a season-high 15 against Augustana on Nov. 16. Anthony leads the team with 25 helpers. Freely (11), Anthony-Bello (10), Sawyer (10), and Phillips (10) have also posted double-digits in assists this season. … Anthony’s nine assists against UW-Superior last Tuesday were a season- and career-high.

• AS A TEAM: The Cardinals are shooting 40.5 percent from the field (198-for-489), with 62 3-pointers, and are 77-for-127 (60.6 percent) from the free throw line. Saint Mary’s is averaging 66.9 ppg, with their opponents scoring at a 69.2 ppg clip. … The Cardinals scored a season-high 83 points in their 83-78 win over UW-Superior Tuesday. Saint Mary’s also posted season-highs in FGM (29), FTM (19) and FTA (26) against the Yellowjackets.

• WORKING OVERTIME: Saint Mary’s 79-73 loss to Augustana on Nov. 16 was its first overtime game since beating Carleton 79-77 on Feb. 12, 2020. Saint Mary’s finished 2-0 in overtime games during the 2019-20 season.

• STREAK-SNAPPERS: The Cardinals’ loss to Bethel on Dec. 11 snapped their two-game winning streak. … Saint Mary’s 68-66 win over St. Scholastica on Dec. 4, meanwhile, put an end to SMU’s two-game losing streak. … The Cardinals’ 63-60 win over St. Olaf was their first win in Northfield since beating the Oles 66-57 on Jan. 16, 2013.

• CONFERENCE CLIMB: Prior to its conference-opener against Macalester on Nov. 20, Saint Mary’s had not played an official MIAC game since the 2019-20 season, when the Cardinals finished 10-10 and earned their first MIAC Tournament berth since 1985. Saint Mary’s made its first MIAC Tournament appearance since 1985 in 2019-20, collecting the program’s first postseason victory with its 72-59 quarterfinal win over Bethel on Feb. 25. … SMU’s 10 MIAC wins in 2019-20 were the most since going 11-9 during the 1999-2000 season.

• FOR THE RECORD: The Crusaders head into their two D3hoops.com Classic games sitting a 7-1 overall, including a 4-1 mark in American Southwest Conference (ASC) action.

• LAST ACTION: Josiah Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer with 20 seconds remaining and Ty Prince sealed the win with a pair of free throws, as the Cru beat Pacific Lutheran 56-53 in their opening game of the D3hoops.com Classic Wednesday in Las Vegas, Nev.

• IN THE POLLS: Mary Hardin-Baylor enters its two games in Las Vegas, Nev., sitting No. 19 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25.

•  ROLLING ALONG: After opening the season with five straight wins, Mary Hardin-Baylor suffered its lone loss of the season, a three-point, 80-77 setback at the hands of Hardin-Simmons on Dec. 11. The Cru responded to that first loss with back-to-back-back wins over UT-Dallas, Letourneau, and Pacific Lutheran heading into their Thursday showdown against Saint Mary's.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Mary Hardin-Baylor has played five of its first eight games on their home court — winning all five. MHB is 2-1 on the road this season. … Following their final two games of 2021 against Pacific Lutheran and Saint Mary’s, the Cru will play their first three games of January on their home court.

• IMPRESSIVE RESUME: Johnson entered the season as a D3hoops.com Preseason All-American. Johnson was a D3hoops.com First Team All-America honoree last season, while also earning D3hoops.com First Team All-South Region honors. He is the reigning American Southwest Conference Male Athlete of the Year and also earned West Division Player of the Year, All-ASC Team, First Team All-West Division and West Division All-Defensive Team accolades. Johnson was also a seven-time ASC Player of the Week in 2021-21 and earned all-academic honors.

• OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT: The Cru enters tournament play boasting three players who are averaging in double figures in scoring, led by Johnson’s 26.8 ppg scoring average. Prince is second to Johnson with an 18.1 ppg average, followed by Feely at 11.0 ppg. … Johnson has scored 20 or more points in seven of the team’s eight games — including four 30+ point outings. Johnson scored 31 against McMurry, 34 vs. Southwestern (TX), 36 against Hardin-Simmons, and a season-high 40 against Arlington Baptist on Nov. 27.

• ON THE BOARDS: Prince heads into the Cru’s two tournament games leading the team in rebounds with 59 (7.4 rpg), nine more than Feely (50, 6.5 rpg) and 11 in front of Johnson (6.0 rpg). … As a team, MHB has hauled in 441 rebounds (41.4 rpg) through eight games.

• DOUBLING UP: Feely and Johnson both own a pair of double-doubles this season, while Johnson posted a 40-point, 10-rebound double-double against Arlington Baptist on Nov. 27 to account for MHB’s other double-double.

• HITTING A TRIPLE: Along with his two double-doubles, Prince boasts the team’s lone triple-double, hitting 22 points, 10 rebounds.

• FROM DOWNTOWN: Mary Hardin-Baylor has drained 58 3-pointers and boast three players — Johnson (27), Hammond (11_ and Brooks (10) — with 10 or more treys this season.

• LENDING A HAND: Prince has been in a giving mood this season, recording a team-high 46 assists, followed by Johnson (24), Carson Hammond (15), and Payton Brooks (14). … 

• STEALING THE SHOW: Johnson is the team’s steals leader with 23, while Kyle Wright is second with 11. As a team, MHB has posted 76 steals in eight games.

• AS A TEAM: The Cru are shooting 47.5 percent from the field (264-for-556) with 68 3-pointers and are 126-for-159 (79.2 percent) from the free throw line. … MHB is averaging 86.4 ppg, while limiting their opponents to just 75.5 ppg.

• PUTTING UP 100: … Mary Hardin-Baylor has scored 90 or more points four times this season — including eclipsing the 100-point mark twice. The Cru scored 100 points in dropping Southwestern (TX) 100-80, and poured in a season-high 110 point in drubbing Arlington Baptist 110-91. … Johnson and Prince accounted for 67 of the Cru’s 100 points in their 100-80, season-opening win over Southwestern (TX) on Nov. 9, with Johnson netting 34, while Prince chipped in 33.

• A YEAR AGO: The Cru closed out 2020-21 with a 16-4 record, falling to Louisiana College in the semifinals of the American Southwest Conference Tournament. The loss to LC snapped UMHB’s 13-game winning streak.