Here’s quick-hit, by-the-numbers preview of the 2023-24 Saint Mary's University men’s basketball team.

HEAD COACH:

• Joe Fano (6th season)

THE RECORDS:

• 2022-23: 12-8 MIAC (3rd), 16-10 Overall

IN THE POST-SEASON:

• MIAC Playoffs: vs. Hamline (L, 90-84, 2 ot)

RETURNERS TO WATCH:

• Owen Ziegler (Junior • Guard | 2022-23: 26 GP, 12.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 86 3-pointers, 27 assists, 34 steals, 2 blocks; Started all 26 games and was third on the team in scoring (12.5 ppg). … H-M All-MIAC in 2022-23. … Led the team and was in Top 10 in NCAA Division III in 3-pointers (86) and 3-point FG % (46.2) in 2022-23. … Set single-game school record with 8 3-pointers twice — vs. St. Olaf on Nov. 30, 2022 & vs. Carleton on Dec. 3, 2022. … Owns school-record for 3-pointers in a season (86). … Scored career-high 32 points v. Carleton on Dec. 3, 2022).

• Breyton Buysman (Junior • Guard | 2022-23: 26 GP, 12.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 56 3-pointers, 29 assists, 26 steals, 13 blocks; Started all 26 games in 2022-23 and was second on the team in scoring (12.7 ppg). … Scored career-high 25 points against Hamline on Jan. 4, 2023. … Finished the year netting 10 or more points 17 times — including 20+ points three times).

• Jabari Sawyer (Junior • Guard | 2022-23: 25 GP, 8.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 13 3-pointers, 71 assists, 33 steals, 3 blocked shots; Posted career-highs in ppg (8.1), rpg (3.6), assists (71) and steals (33) in 2022-23. … Scored career-high 22 points against Augsburg on Jan. 16, 2023). … Went perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line vs. Hamline on Jan. 26, 2022).

• Cameron Mallory (Junior • Guard | 2022-23: 26 GP, 7.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 19 3-pointers, 36 assists, 18 steals; Scored career-high 14 points against Gustavus on Nov. 19, 2022. … Hauled in career-best 11 rebounds vs. St. Olaf on Feb. 1, 2023).

• Bruce Lockwood (Senior • Forward | 2022-23: 25 GP, 3.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 23 assists, 19 steals, 7 blocks; Hauled in a career-high 12 rebounds in double-OT MIAC Playoff loss to Hamline on Feb. 21, 2022. … Finished with 10 or more rebounds three times in 2022-23. … Has scored a career-high 10 points in a game twice).

BY THE NUMBERS:

• 1: Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) went 3-for-5 from behind the 3-point line against Augsburg on Feb. 8 to break the single-season record of 71, held by Donald Jordan during the 1994-95 season. Ziegler — who led the team with a program-record 86 treys — netted a single-game school record eight 3-pointers for the second straight game against Carleton on Dec. 3, going 8-for-14 from beyond the arc. The junior was 8-for-13 in first setting the school record against St. Olaf on Nov. 30.

• 7: Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill.) collected seven post-season honors a year ago — including D3hoops.com First-Team All-American and NABC Second-Team All-American. Anthony, the 2022-23 MIAC Offensive Player of the Year, is Saint Mary’s men’s basketball’s first All-American.

• 16:With their 77-69 win over Gustavus on Feb. 18, 2023, the Cardinals improved to 16-9 overall, marking the second time in five years that SMU had recorded double figures in wins — having posted 14 wins in 2019-20. … The 16 victories are the most since coach Ron Donovan guided Saint Mary’s to a 16-10 record during the 1977-78 season.

• 17: Seventeen of the Cardinals’ 26 games last season were decided by 10 points or less — including 15 of 21 against MIAC opponents 

• 20 x 3: The Cardinals boasted three players with 20 or more points in the same game for the first time in program history against Augsburg on Jan. 16, 2023, getting 22 points from Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill.), and 21 each from Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill.) and Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.). SMU had two players score 20+ points in the same game six times a year ago.

• 41: Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill.) scored a career-high 41 points twice last season. His 41-point showings against both North Park on Dec. 30 and vs. Concordia on Jan. 21 were the highest single-game individual performances since Will Wright netted 41 against MacMurray on Nov. 22, 2008, and the third-most in program history — just five shy of the school-record 46 posted by Ken Jansen against Macalester during the 1956-57 season.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Saint Mary’s had a player score 30 or more points in a game seven times last season. Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill.) posted a 30-point game against Crown on Nov. 8, a 32-point showing against Saint John’s on Jan. 7, 33-point nights against both Hamline on Jan. 30 and Gustavus on Feb. 18, and 41-point showings against both North Park on Dec. 30 and Concordia last Jan. 21, while Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) delivered 30 points against Carleton on Dec. 3.

DID YOU KNOW, PART II?

• The Cardinals — who knocked down 242 3-pointers in 26 games last season — finished No. 1 in NCAA Division III in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 40.1 percent (242-for-603) from behind the arc, while Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) finished seventh in the country in 3-point FG percentage (46.2%). 

DID YOU KNOW, PART III?

• The Cardinals’ 102 points in their 102-68 win over Finlandia on Jan. 2 were the most since they beat Luther 103-97 in overtime on Nov. 30, 2019. Saint Mary’s has now had a team score 100 or more points 10 times in program history — including a program-record 110 in a 110-99 win over UM-Duluth on Jan. 26, 1956.

LOOKING BACK AT 2022-23:

• THEY’RE IN (AGAIN): Saint Mary’s made its third MIAC Playoff appearance in the last five seasons under coach Joe Fano in 2022-23. SMU — hosting the first MIAC Playoff game in program history — dropped a heartbreaking, 90-84, double-overtime decision to Hamline in the quarterfinals. It was the second straight year in which the Pipers ended SMU’s season, having claimed an 89-64 victory in St. Paul, Minn., on Feb. 19, 2022. … SMU collected the program’s first post-season victory with a 72-59 win over Bethel in 2020. The Cardinals fell to St. Thomas 79-66 in the semifinals that year.

• REGIONAL RANKINGS: The Cardinals cracked into the NCAA Division III Region IX rankings on Feb. 16, 2023 — marking the first time in program history SMU has been regionally ranked.

• RIDING THE WAVE: The Cardinals closed out the season having won two of their last three, five of their last seven, and 13 of their previous 17 — a run that includes a program-record eight-game winning streak.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Saint Mary’s closed out the year 10-3 on their home court, while going 6-7 in 13 road contests.

• CLOSE CALLS: Saint Mary’s went a stretch from Jan. 28-Feb. 1, 2023 in which all three games were decided in the game’s final four seconds. SMU lost to Carleton 65-63 on Jan. 28 on a pair of Knight free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining, dropped an 87-85 overtime decision to Hamline on Jan. 30 on an HU buzzer-beating 3-pointer, and beat St. Olaf 66-65 two days later when Anthony completed a four-point play with 4.0 seconds remaining.

• WORKING OVERTIME: Saint Mary’s 90-84 double-overtime loss to Hamline in the MIAC Playoff quarterfinals on Feb. 21 was its second overtime game of the season — with both coming against the Pipers. SMU suffered an87-84 OT loss to HU on Jan. 30. 

• DOUBLE-DIGIT AVERAGES: Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill., who scored in double figures in all 26 contests — and 63 times in his four-year collegiate career — averaged a team- and conference-leading 24.6 ppg, while Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) and Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) also averaged in double figures at 12.7 ppg and 12.5 ppg, respectively. … Anthony’s 24.6 ppg scoring average was not only tops in the conference, but is also No. 2 in all of NCAA Division III, behind E.J. Day of Lasell (25.8 ppg). 

• GREATER THAN 20: Saint Mary’s had a player score 20 or more points in 20 of its 26 games — including 16 of their last 19 contests. … Anthony scored 20+ points in a game 18 times in 2022-23, including six games of 30 or more points.

• CAREER SCORING NIGHTS: Saint Mary’s boasted six players who recorded single-game career-highs of 10 or more points — Anthony (41), Ziegler (30), Mason Klett (Apple Valley, Minn. / 27), Buysman (26), Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill. / 22), and Branham (19) while Bruce Lockwood (Shakopee, Minn.) equaled his career-high with 10 points against Hamline on Jan. 4. 

• JOINING THE CLUB: With his field goal at 5:48 of the second half against Finlandia on Jan. 2, Anthony became the 28th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Anthony — who is SMU’s first 1,000-point scorer since Eli Cave ’21 hit the milestone during the 2020-21 season — closed out his career sitting eighth all-time with 1,390 career points.

• HITTING DOUBLE DIGITS: Saint Mary’s put at least three players in double figures in 19 of its 26 games – including four double-figure scorers in the same game eight times.

• PERFECTION: Anthony had his consecutive free throws streak snapped at 21 straight, with a miss late in the second half of SMU’s game at Hamline on Jan. 30. Anthony’s 21 straight streak including a 10-for-10 effort against Concordia on Jan. 21. The 10 made free throws against the Cobbers marked the third time this season Anthony has netted at least 10 free throws in a game.

• ON THE GLASS: Anthony led the team in rebounds with 238 (9.2 rpg). Lockwood finished second on the team with 115 rebounds (4.6 rpg), followed by Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill. / 94, 3.6 rpg), Sawyer (91, 3.6 rpg), Buysman (87, 3.3 rpg), and Ziegler (71, 2.7 rpg). … Anthony’s 15 rebounds against Hamline on Jan. 4 matched his career-high and were just one shy of the program record of 16, set by Will Swiggum against Martin Luther on Nov. 24, 2015. … Lockwood posted a career-high 11 rebounds against St. Scholastica on Feb. 4, while Nick Falls (Plymouth, Wis.) notched a career-best 10 boards against Hamline on Jan.30.

• DOUBLING UP: Along with his 18 points in SMU’s playoff loss to Hamline on Feb. 21, Anthony also hauled in 12 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the year. … Anthony finished with 22 double-doubles in his four-year collegiate career. … Anthony collected his first points/assist double-double against Gustavus on Nov. 19, scoring 19 points and adding a career-high 10 assists.

• GOING DEEP: Saint Mary’s equaled the program’s single-game record with 14 3-pointers against Finlandia on Jan. 2. It marked the second time this season the Cardinals have hit 14 3s in a game, first achieving the feat against Carleton on Dec. 3.

• LENDING A HAND: Along with leading the team in scoring and rebounding, Anthony also boasted a team-best 120 assists, followed by Sawyer with 71. … The Cardinals recorded a season-high 19 assists against Gustavus on Nov. 19 — including a career-high 10 from Anthony. The 10 assists by Anthony were the most by a Cardinal since Evan Pederson put together an 11-assist showing against Macalester on Feb. 14, 2014. … SMU’s 19-assist effort against the Gusties were the most in a game since the Cardinals dished out 20 helpers against Augsburg on Feb. 2, 2021

• WEEKLY HONORS: Saint Mary’s had two players named MIAC Offensive Player of the Week — Buysman on Dec. 19, 2022; and Anthony on Jan. 9, 2023, Feb. 6, 2023, and Feb. 20, 2023. Anthony was also named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week four times this season — on Jan. 3, 2023, Jan. 10, 2023, Jan. 24, 2023, and Feb. 21, 2023.

• NATIONAL RECOGNITION: Small College Basketball and the National Awards Committee announced the Bevo Francis Top 50 Watch List for the 2022-23 season on Feb. 15 — which included the Cardinals’ Anthon. The Top 50 Watch List consists of some of the top players from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, USCAA and NCCAA. The list will be narrowed down to the Top 25 on March 15.

• BIG HALF: The Cardinals erupted for 55 first-half points against Finlandia on Jan. 2, the highest single-half performance in more than 30 years. … SMU scored 40 or more points in a half in 17 of its 26 games — including 40+ in both halves against Carleton (Dec. 3), Finlandia (Jan. 2), Hamline (Jan. 4), Augsburg (Jan. 16), and Bethel (Feb. 15).

• STREAK FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: SMU’s program-record eight-game winning streak from Dec. 14-Jan. 16 included victories over then-No. 7 UW-La Crosse, followed by back-to-back nonconference victories over North Park and Finlandia, and six consecutive conference triumphs — including a 69-57 win over Saint John’s on Jan. 7 that snapped a 29-game losing streak against the Johnnies.

• TAKING THEM DOWN: SMU’s six-point win over No. 7 UW-La Crosse on Dec. 14 marked the first time in program history the Cardinals had beaten a team ranked in the Top 10 in the country. … The win also snapped a six-game losing streak against the Eagles — dating back to a 65-50 triumph on Nov. 24, 1986.

• SEASON-BESTS: SMU shot a season-high 54.7 percent from the field in its win over Augsburg on Jan. 16 — it was the highest single-game shooting percentage since going 28-for-56 (60.9 %) against North Park on Dec. 29, 2018. … Saint Mary’s recorded season-highs in numerous statistical categories against Finlandia on Jan. 2, including points (102), field goals made (41), field goals attempted (82), 3-pointers made (14), 3-pointers attempted (36), rebounds (52), assists (23), and blocked shots (6).

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: The Cardinals shot 45.9 percent from the field (735-for-1603), with 243 3-pointers, and finished 259-for-335 (77.0 %) from the free throw line. … Saint Mary’s averaged 75.8 ppg, while the Cardinals’ opponents scored at a 71.5 ppg clip. … Saint Mary’s scored 80 or more points in a game 10 times this season, including a season-high 102 against Finlandia on Jan. 2.