WINONA, Minn. — It was a classic matchup of two conference heavyweights when the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team entertained Saint John's Saturday afternoon.
In Red Corner, sporting the baby blue trunks, were the Johnnies — sitting atop the conference standings and boasting a 1-2 combination of the league's highest field goal percentage (50.1%) and the most stingy defense, allowing their opponents just 59.6 points-per-game.
In the White Corner, clad in white trunks, were the Cardinals — owning a devastating 1-2 combo of their own as the nation's leader 3-point field goal percentage (43.3 %), while sitting No. 2 in the conference in scoring with a 79.2 ppg average.
And in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference slugfest that saw plenty of offensive and defensive haymakers being thrown, when the final bell sounded, the Cardinals' 3-point jabs and a steady diet of
Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill.) prevailed.
Anthony scored a game-high 32 points, and the Cardinals overcame a 21-0 Saint John's run to end the first half in dealing the Johnnies a 69-57 setback — and snapping SMU's 29-game losing streak against the Johnnies dating back to a 63-60 win on Jan. 22, 2007.
The Cardinals had their way through the first 10:30 of the opening half, knocking down back-to-back field goals by
Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) and Anthony to open the game and building that four-point lead to as many as 12, 21-0 on an Anthony bucket with 9:30 to play.
And then things went cold — very, very cold.
Saint Mary's would fail to score over those final nine-plus minutes, while Saint John's poured in 21 points to close the half on a 21-0 run — turning that 12-point SMU cushion into a nine-point, 30-21 Johnnie advantage heading into the locker room at the break.
The 15-minute intermission was just what the doctor ordered for the Cardinals, who regained their offensive swagger the minute they stepped on the court, scoring nine unanswered points to claw within one, 31-30.
Saint John's did its best to maintain the momentum, but the Johnnies could only hold off the hard-charging Cardinals for so long, and, when
Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill.) drained a 3-pointer with 8:50 to play, the Cardinals had the lead for good, 50-49.
The Johnnies would keep the Cardinals within their sights over the next six minutes, but Saint Mary's would not be denied, closing the game on a 14-4 run to seal the streak-ending 14-point.
Anthony finished 11 of 21 from the field and added a 10-for-12 showing from the free throw line en route to his 32-point effort, while adding 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.
Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill.) chipped in 12 points for the Cardinals, who shot 46.2 percent from the field, with seven 3-pointers, and went 14 of 19 from the free throw line.
Not overshadowed was the play of the SMU defense, as the Cardinals held the Johnnies to just 40.8 percent shooting from the field (17 of 42) and a dismal 7-for-19 effort from behind the 3-point line. Carson Schoeller netted 16 points and Kooper Vaughn chipped in 15 for SJU.
The Cardinals (3-4 MIAC, 7-5 overall) are back in action — and back on their home court for a fourth straight game — on Wednesday, as they play host to Bethel in a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
