NORTHFIELD, Minn. — Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) entered Wednesday's Saint Mary's University men's basketball team's conference game against St. Olaf having scored a career-high 15 points twice in his collegiate career.
 
The junior nearly doubled that single-game output against the Oles, pouring in a whopping 26 points — including knocking down eight 3-pointers.
 
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Ziegler's Herculean effort was not quite enough, as Saint Mary's dropped its third straight nail-biter, falling to the Oles 75-69 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup at St. Olaf's Skoglund Center Gym.
 
The Oles could do no wrong early in the first half, recording the game's first two points and building their lead to as many as 14, 32-18, with 6:20 remaining until halftime.
 
From there, the Cardinals kick their offense into high gear. Scratch that … Ziegler kicked his offense into high gear.
 
Ziegler highlighted a 16-2 Saint Mary's run with three of his five first-half 3-pointers, as SMU pulled even with the Oles, 34-34, with 2:02 on the clock. St. Olaf answered SMU's lengthy run with a five-point spurt of its own to account for the final five points of the half, and a 39-34 Ole lead at the break.
 
The Cardinals threatened, and threatened, and threatened to grab control in the second half, but each time SMU clawed within a one possession game, the Oles would have an answer. SMU cut the five-point halftime deficit to two, 55-53, on yet another Ziegler 3-pointers, only to have St. Olaf push the lead back to eight, 66-58, with less than eight minutes to play in regulation.
 
Saint Mary's once again got within three, 72-69, with 1:05 remaining, and forced a St. Olaf turnover on the Oles' next possession. Unfortunately, the Cardinals turned the ball back over, and St. Olaf would hit three free throws down the stretch to seal the six-point win.
 
Ziegler finished 9-for-14 from the field — including 8 of 13 from beyond the arc — en route to his career-high 26 point night, while Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill.) chipped in his fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) added 17 points for the Cardinals.
 
As a team, Saint Mary's — which has now dropped three straight by a combined 10 points — shot 41.5 percent from the field (27-for-65) with nine 3-pointers — and went 6 of 12 from the free throw line. St. Olaf, which was led by Nathan Hendler's 19 points, finished 32-for-64 from the field (50.0 percent) with five treys and added a 6 of 12 showing from the line.
 
The Cardinals (0-3 MIAC, 1-4 overall) are back in action on Saturday, when they return home to the Saint Mary's Gym for a 1 p.m. conference showdown with Carleton.
 
  Read Full Article