SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023-24: 2-8 Overall

UW-LA CROSSE EAGLES

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2023-24: 5-5 Overall

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SMU-UWL * A YEAR AGO:

Dec. 14, 2022 * La Crosse, WI

W, 73-66 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Dec. 9, 2023 * Arden Hills, MN

Bethel * L, 77-65

UW-LA CROSSE * LAST ACTION:

Dec. 9, 2023 * Milwaukee, WI

Wisconsin Lutheran * L, 84-72

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Jan. 3, 2024 * Winona, MN

Augsburg * 7 p.m.

UW-LA CROSSE * UP NEXT: 

Jan. 3, 2024 * River Falls, WI

UW-River Falls * 7 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their nonconference showdown against UW-La Crosse — their final game before the holiday break — sitting at 2-8 overall, while sitting at 1-5 in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) scored 24 points and Bruce Lockwood (Shakopee, Minn.) chipped in 11, but it was not enough to get the Cardinals past Bethel, falling to the Royals 77-65 last Saturday in Arden Hills, Minn.

• ROAD WARRIORS: The Cardinals’ matchup against UW-La Crosse is just the second home game in the last six contests. The only other home game in that span was a 71-57 loss to Concordia on Dec. 4. … Saint Mary’s is currently 1-3 on its home court, while sporting a 1-5 record away from the Saint Mary’s Gym..

• FACING THE NATION’S BEST: Saint Mary’s has faced two teams that received recognition in the D3hoops.com Preseason Poll. UW-Platteville received votes in the opening poll, while UW-Whitewater — an NCAA Division III Final Four participant last season — was ranked No. 2. … SMU’s six-point win over then-No. 7 UW-La Crosse a year ago 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.

• STREAKING: With their 12-point, 92-80 win over St. Scholastica on Dec. 6, the Cardinals put an end to their season-high four-game losing streak. … SMU’s win on Dec. 6 was its fifth straight win against the St. Scholastica and moved the Cardinals to 7-1 against CSS all-time.

• CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD: Buysman leads the way for the Cardinal offense, averaging 17.1 ppg through 10 games, while Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill.) is also averaging in double figures at 15.4 ppg). Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill.) is percentage points away from averaging in double digits, sitting at 9.9 ppg. … Mallory or Buysman have led or shared the team lead in scoring in eight of SMU’s first 10 games.

• HITTING DOUBLE FIGURES: Mallory has scored in double figures in eight of SMU’s 10 contests. He has set a new single-game career high three times this season — netting a then-career-high 20 points against UW-Platteville on Nov. 10, bettering that by three with a 23-point showing against UW-River Falls on Nov. 18, before pouring in a new career-best with 25 points against St. Scholastica on Dec. 6. … Buysman has scored in double figures in eight of SMU’s 10 games — including a season-high 24-point effort three times — against Hamline on Nov. 21, vs. St. Scholastica on Dec. 6, and against Bethel last Saturday

• GREATER THAN 20: Saint Mary’s has had a player score 20 or more points in a game eight times this season. Mallory has accomplished the feat four times, while Buysman — who has posted back-to-back 24-point performances — has also netted 20+ points four times.

• GREATER THAN 20 x 2: With Mallory’s 25 points and Buysman’s 24 against St. Scholastica on Dec. 6, the Cardinals recorded their second game with two players reaching the 20-point mark in the same game. The duo also achieved the feat against St. Olaf on Dec. 2. … SMU had two 20+ scorers in the same game six times last season — including a program record three players with 20 or more points in the same game against Augsburg on Jan. 16, 2023.

• CAREER SCORING NIGHTS: Saint Mary’s has had a player post a career high of 10 or more points three times this season. Mallory’s 25-point showing against St. Scholastica on Dec. 6 was a career high, while Jemari Moore (Broadview, Ill.) delivered a career-high 14 points against Concordia on Dec. 4, and Lockwood has tallied a career-best 11 points against both Hamline on Nov. 21 and vs. Bethel last Saturday … Saint Mary’s boasted six players who recorded single-game career-highs of 10 or more points last season.

• SPREADING THE WEALTH: Saint Mary’s put five players in double figures against Saint John’s on Nov. 29 — Mallory (13 points), Sawyer (11), Lockwood (11), Buysman (10), and Moore (10). It was the first time SMU has put five players in double figures in the same game since Jan. 15, 2022.

• ON THE GLASS: Saint Mary’s boasts four players with 40 or more rebounds through 10 games, led by Lockwood with 50 (5.0 rpg). Buysman owns 45 boards (4.5 rpg), followed by Sawyer (44, 4.4 rpg) and Mallory (42, 4.2 rpg). … Mallory, Lockwood, and Buysman have all posted season-high eight-rebound performances this season. … Lockwood finished second on the team with 115 rebounds (4.6 rpg) a year ago, and posted a career-high 11 rebounds against St. Scholastica on Feb. 4, 2023.

• FEW FREE POINTS: The Cardinals attempted just two free throws — making both — in their 71-57 loss to Concordia on Dec. 4. It was the fewest FT made in a game since hitting 2 of 4 against St. Olaf on Feb. 9, 2015, while the two FT attempts were the fewest since Feb. 8, 2006, when SMU went 0-for-1 from the line against Hamline.

• GOING DEEP: Saint Mary’s, which knocked down 242 3-pointers and led the nation in 3-point FG percentage (46.2 %), has made 70 of 209 3-point attempts this season (33.5 %) — including a season-high 12 treys against UW-River Falls on Nov. 18. … Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) leads the team with 22 treys, followed by Buysman with 13 and Khai Branham (Bemidji, Minn.) with 11. … The Cardinals have gotten at least one 3 from eight different players. … SMU’s season-high 12 3-pointers against UW-River Falls on Nov. 18 were just two treys shy of the program’s single-game record of 14, set against Finlandia a year ago.

• LENDING A HAND: Ziegler and Sawyer lead the way for SMU with 36 and 33 assists, respectively, with Buysman (18) and Mallory (14) also reaching double figures in helpers. … The Cardinals recorded a season-high 19 assists in their first meeting against Gustavus last season. SMU’s 19-assist effort was the most in a game since the Cardinals dished out 20 helpers against Augsburg on Feb. 2, 2021.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: The Cardinals are shooting 46.3 percent from the field (278-for-601), with 70 3-pointers, and are 75 of 108 (69.4 %) from the free throw line. … SMU is averaging 70.1 ppg, with its opponents scoring at an 80.9 ppg clip. … Saint Mary’s has scored 70 or more points in five of its first nine games — including a season-high 92 points against St. Scholastica on Dec. 6. … SMU’s 92-point effort in its 92-80 win over St. Scholastica on Dec. 6 were the most since netting a season-high 102 against Finlandia on Jan. 2, 2023.

UW-LA CROSSE SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Eagles head into their nonconference contest at Saint Mary’s sitting at .500, sporting a 5-5 overall record through the first 10 games of the season.

• LAST TIME OUT: Wisconsin Lutheran outscored the Eagles 49-37 in the second half, as the Eagles — playing WLC for the first time since the 2010-11 season — dropped an 84-72 nonconference setback last Saturday in Milwaukee, Wis.

• ROAD WARRIORS: Wednesday’s game against Saint Mary’s is the second of three straight road games for the Eagles, who were at Wisconsin Lutheran last Saturday, and head to UW-River Falls to kick off WIAC play on Jan. 3, before returning home to face UW-Stevens Point on Jan. 6. … The Eagles have won three of their four home contests this season, while sporting a 2-4 mark away from Mitchell Hall. 

• ROLLERCOASTER RIDE: It’s been a wild ride through the first 10 games of the season for the Eagles, who opened the season with back-to-back losses, rebounded with three consecutive wins, suffered through its second two-game losing streak, and followed that up with two straight wins prior to last Saturday’s loss to Wisconsin Lutheran.

• CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD: Dustin Derousseau heads into Wednesday’s nonconference game against Saint Mary’s leading the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 ppg. Derousseau is one of five Eagles who are averaging in double figures in scoring, being joined by Sam Grieger (12.1 ppg), Austin Westra (11.6 ppg), Jake Gross (11.5 ppg), and Will Fuhrmann (11.4 ppg). … Derousseau had his nine-game streak of scoring in double figures snapped against Wisconsin Lutheran last Saturday. … Gross has also scored in double figures in nine of UW-L’s 10 games this season, while Gross has eight 10+ point games.

• GREATER THAN 20: UW-L has had a player score 20 or more points in a game seven times, with Derousseau and Westra each posting season-high 29-point games — Derousseau’s coming against Bethel on Nov. 18, and Westra’s coming against Ripon three days later.

• CLEANING THE GLASS: The Eagles boast six players with 30 or more rebounds through 10 games, led by Grieger with 65 (6.4 rpg) and Westra (59, 6.6 rpg). Fuhrmann (43, 4.3 rpg), Derousseau (38, 6.3 rpg), Gross (38, 6.3 rpg), J.J. Paider (35, 4.4 rpg) have also reached the 30-rebound mark. … The Eagles have had a player record 10 or more rebounds in a game in six of their 10 contests this season — including a season-high 13-rebound effort by Grieger against Bethel on Nov. 18.

• FROM BEYOND THE ARC: UW-La Crosse his shooting 34.9 percent from behind the 3-point line, going 75-for-215. … Fuhrmann and Derousseau have each knocked down 15 3-pointers, two more than Gross, with Tarek Abdel Kireem sitting fourth with nine treys.

• LENDING A HAND: Grieger and Fuhrmann have dished out more than 20 assists in 10 games, with Grieger leading the way with 25 helpers, two more than Fuhrmann. Gross (17), Derousseau (16), Khris Green (13), and Westra (10) also reaching double digits in assists. … Fuhrmann dished out a single-game season-high six assists against Ripon on Nov. 21.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS:The Eagles are shooting 44.1 percent from the field (284-for-644), including 75 of 217 (34.6 %) from behind the free throw line, and are 129 of 184 (70.1 %) at the free throw line. … UW-L is averaging 77.2 ppg, while limiting their opponents to just 72.0 ppg. … UW-L has outscored its first 10 opponents 772-720 — including 355-350 in the first half and 417-370 after the break. … UW-La Crosse has scored 70 or more points in five of its 10 games, and has eclipsed the 90-point mark three times — netting 93 in beating Bethel (93-81) and Wartburg (93-70), and a season-high 94 points in dropping Aurora 94-71.