LA CROSSE, Wis. - The Saint Mary's University Cardinals are the best bird in the land. 

Need proof? The Cardinal men's basketball team gave skeptics plenty Wednesday evening, as they took down UW-La Crosse — the seventh-ranked team in the country — by a final score of 73-66.

Need more proof? Saint Mary's earned the victory on the road, handing the Eagles just itheir second loss of the season, while improving its own record to 3-5 overall.

The Cardinals soared with the Eagles through the first five minutes of play, shooting their way to a 12-9 lead over the #7 ranked team in the country by 14:20 in the first half. It was sophomore Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) who led Saint Mary's early scoring efforts, accounting for eight of the team's 12 points on 3-5 shooting through the first five minutes, while Raheem Anthony's (Chicago Ill.) SportsCenter worthy dunk seemingly sucked the life out of UW-La Crosse's typically red hot offense. 

The dunk seemed to have the opposite of Anthony's intended effect, as the Eagles scored six unanswered points to take a 15-12 lead over Saint Mary's. The Cardinals hung with their hosts, though, eventually regaining a one point advantage at 16-15 on Buysman's tenth point of the night. The next three minutes were dominated by Saint Mary's, as the team went on a 10-2 run and held UW-La Crosse scoreless for nearly two full minutes, allowing the Cardinals to hold a 26-19 lead with 7:40 remaining in the first half. 

The Eagles used the closing five minutes to close the gap, cutting Saint Mary's lead to 28-26 by 3:23. Still, the Cardinals defense held strong in the closing minutes, allowing the team to take a 32-28 lead into the locker room at halftime. Buysman was over halfway to his career high in points after 20 minutes of play, scoring 15 total in the first half alone. 

Saint Mary's strong play carried over to the second half, as the Cardinals cruised to a 46-36 lead over their hosts. UW-La Crosse, though, continued to hang tough, using athleticism and turnovers to cut the deficit to 48-41 just before the 11 minute mark. With under 10 minutes to go, the Eagles managed to whittle Saint Mary's lead to 52-46, giving pause to all Cardinals fans in the Coulee Region. 

In the end, Saint Mary's had just enough firepower to take down UW-La Crosse. Though the Eagles would cut the deficit to 62-57 with four minute remaining, it was no harm, no foul for the Cardinals, as free throws cemented their upset victory over the #7 team in the country. With the clock winding down, UW-La Crosse was forced to foul, and Saint Mary's executed its game plan to perfection. The Cardinals made four of five free throws in the closing seconds of the game, securing the 73-66 victory over the Eagles. 

Buysman closed the game as the team's leading scorer, tallying a career-high 23 points on 9-17 shooting, including a 5-11 clip from three-point range. Anthony closed the game with 14 points and a team-leading seven rebounds, while Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill.) added 12 points, four assists and two steals. 

The Cardinals will enjoy a long holiday break before returning to action on December 30 when Saint Mary's closes out the 2022 calendar year against North Park University. Tip off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CT in Chicago, Illinois.