SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS
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2022-23: 7-7 MIAC, 11-8 Overall
ST. OLAF OLES
Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule
2022-23: 8-7 MIAC, 12-8 Overall
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SMU-STO * EARLIER THIS YEAR:
L, 75-69 * Series History
SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:
Jan. 30, 2023 * St. Paul, MN
Hamline * L, 87-84 (ot)
ST. OLAF * LAST ACTION:
Jan. 30, 2023 * Northfield, MN
Carleton * L, 73-56
SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:
Feb. 4, 2023 * Winona, MN
St. Scholastica * 1:00
ST. OLAF * UP NEXT:
Feb. 4, 2023 * Northfield, MN
Augsburg * 1:00
SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:
• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their conference showdown against St. Olaf on Wednesday sitting at 11-8 overall, including a 7-7 showing in MIAC action.
• LAST TIME OUT: Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill.) scored a game-high 33 points and hauled in 10 rebounds, but it was not enough, as Hamline’s Bradley Cimperman drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Pipers to an 87-84 overtime win over the Cardinals Monday evening in St. Paul, Minn.
• SHIFTING GEARS: The Cardinals head into Wednesday’s matchup against St. Olaf having won nine of their last 12 games — including a program-record eight-game winning streak. SMU’s eight-game winning streak 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.
• ROAD WARRIORS: Monday’s game at Hamline was SMU’s second straight road game — and the fifth road contest in the last six outings. Beginning Wednesday, Saint Mary’s will play its next three games on its home court. Along with the Oles, the Cardinals will host St. Scholastica (Saturday) and Augsburg (Wednesday), before hitting the road for a showdown with Saint John’s on Feb. 11. … SMU boasts 6-2 record on its home court this season, while going 5-6 in eight road contests.
• CLOSE CALLS: Four of Saint Mary’s last five games have been decided by four points or less, while 12 of the Cardinals’ 19 games this season have been decided by 10 points or less — including 10 of 13 MIAC contests. SMU has dropped nail-biting decisions to Hamline (87-85 OT), Carleton (65-63), Concordia (82-77), Gustavus (74-71), Macalester (77-76 & 75-72), and St. Olaf (75-69), while beating No. 7 UW-La Crosse (73-66), North Park (83-82), Hamline (81-72), St. Scholastica (58-57), and Concordia (85-81).
• LEADING THE CHARGE: Along with Anthony’s 33 points against Hamline on Monday, the Cardinals also go 15 points from Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill.), 12 from Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill.), and eight points and 10 rebounds from Nick Falls (Plymouth, Wis.).
• DOUBLE-DIGIT AVERAGES: Anthony, who has scored in double figures in all 19 contests this season — and 56 times in his four-year collegiate career — is averaging a team- and conference-leading 24.9 ppg, while Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) and Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) are also averaging in double figures at 14.0 ppg and 12.4 ppg, respectively. … Anthony’s 24.9 ppg scoring average is not only tops in the conference, but is also No. 3 in all of NCAA Division III, behind E.J. Day of Lasell (26.4 ppg) and Brody Fox of UW-Stout (25.9 ppg).
• GREATER THAN 20: Saint Mary’s has had a player score 20 or more points in 15 of its 19 games this season — including 11 of their last 13 contests. … Anthony has scored 20+ points in a game 14 times this season, including five games of 30 or more points.
• GREATER THAN 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, getting 22 points from Sawyer, and 21 each from Anthony and Ziegler. … SMU has now had two or more players score 20+ points in the same game five times this season.
• GREATER THAN 30 x 6: Saint Mary’s has had a player score 30 or more points in a game six times this season. Anthony has posted a 30-point game against Crown on Nov. 8, a 32-point showing against Saint John’s on Jan. 7, a 33-point night against Hamline on Monday, and 41-point showings against both North Park on Dec. 30 and Concordia last Jan. 21, while Ziegler delivered 30 points against Carleton on Dec. 3.
• CAREER SCORING NIGHTS: Saint Mary’s has had five players record single-game career-highs of 10 or more points this season — Anthony (41), Ziegler (30), Mason Klett (Apple Valley, Minn. / 27), Buysman (25), and Sawyer (22), while Bruce Lockwood (Shakopee, Minn.) equaled his career-high with 10 points against Hamline on Jan. 4.
• AMONG THE PROGRAM’S BEST: Anthony’s 41-point showing against both North Park on Dec. 30 and vs. Concordia last Saturday are the highest single-game individual performances since Will Wright netted 41 against MacMurray on Nov. 22, 2008. … Anthony’s 41 points are the third-most in program history and just five shy of the school-record 46 posted by Ken Jansen against Macalester during the 1956-57 season.
• 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 — currently sits 15th all-time with 1,241 career points. Next up: George Hoder ’67 (1,260), Bill Skemp ’55 (1,268), and Cave (1,274).
• HITTING DOUBLE DIGITS: Saint Mary’s has put at least three players in double figures in 15 of its 19 games – including four double-figure scorers in the same game seven times.
• PERFECTION: Anthony had his consecutive free throws streak snapped at 21 straight, with a miss late in the second half of Monday’s game at Hamline. 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 leads the team in rebounds with 177 (9.3 rpg). Sawyer is sitting second with 71 rebounds (3.7 rpg), followed by Lockwood (69, 3.6 rpg), Buysman (65, 3.4 rpg), Mallory (57, 3.0 rpg) and Ziegler (52, 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. … Falls recorded a career-high 10 rebounds against Hamline on Monday.
• DOUBLING UP: Along with his 33 points against Hamline on Monday, Anthony also delivered 10 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. … Anthony now owns 19 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. … Anthony was just two rebounds short of his first collegiate triple-double vs. the Gusties on Nov. 19, and three assists short of a triple-double vs. Hamline on Jan. 4.
• 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, having first achieved the feat against Carleton on Dec. 3. … Ziegler netted a single-game program 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. … Ziegler leads the way for SMU with 61 treys, followed by Buysman with 44.
• AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: The Cardinals — who have knocked down 176 3-pointers in 19 games — rank No. 1 in NCAA Division III in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 41.8 percent (176-for-421) from behind the arc. … Ziegler is currently sitting fifth in the country in 3-point FG percentage (49.2%).
• LENDING A HAND: Along with leading the team in scoring and rebounding, Anthony also boasts a team-best 91 assists, followed by Sawyer with 55. … 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 has had two players named MIAC Offensive Player of the Week — Buysman on Dec. 19, 2022 and Anthony on Jan. 9, 2023. It was the fourth career MIAC Player of the Week honor for Anthony, who was also named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week on both Jan. 3 and Jan. 10.
• NATIONAL RECOGNITION: Small College Basketball and the National Awards Committee announced the Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List for the 2022-23 season on Jan. 15 — which included the Cardinals’ Anthon. The Top 100 Watch List consists of some of the top players from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, USCAA and NCCAA.
• HITTING 100: 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.
• 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 has scored 40 or more points in a half in 14 of its 19 games — including 40+ in both halves against Carleton (Dec. 3), Finlandia (Jan. 2), Hamline (Jan. 4), and Augsburg (Jan. 16).
• A WIN FOR THE AGES: The Cardinals’ 69-57 win over Saint John’s last Saturday — which included overcoming a 21-0 half-ending SJU run and rallying from a nine-point halftime deficit — snapped their 29-game losing streak against the Johnnies, dating back to a 63-60 SMU win on Jan. 22, 2007.
• A WIN FOR THE AGES II: 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).
• WORKING OVERTIME: Saint Mary’s 87-85 loss to Hamline on Monday was its first overtime game of the first — and SMU’s first since falling to Carleton 76-66 on Feb.14, 2022. SMU played two OT games last season, also dropping a 79-73 decision to Augustana on Nov. 16, 2021.
• BY THE NUMBERS: The Cardinals are shooting 46.7 percent from the field (553-for-1185), with 176 3-pointers, and are 188-for-247 (76.1 %) from the free throw line. … Saint Mary’s is averaging 77.4 ppg, while the Cardinals’ opponents are scoring at a 71.4 ppg clip. … Saint Mary’s has scored 80 or more points in a game eight times this season, including a season-high 102 against Finlandia on Jan. 2.
ST. OLAF OLES SCOUTING REPORT:
• FOR THE RECORD: The Oles head into their road game against Saint Mary’s on Wednesday sitting at 12-8 overall, including an 8-7 mark in conference action.
• LAST TIME OUT: Carleton knocked down 12 3-pointers and the Oles never recovered, as the Knights dealt St. Olaf a 73-56 conference setback Monday in Northfield, Minn.
• HOME SWEET HOME: The Oles — who have played three of their last five games on their home court — have been virtually unbeatable at home this year, boasting a 7-1 record, while sitting at 5-7 away from Skoglund Center Gym.
• NONCONFERENCE DOMINANCE: St. Olaf closed out the nonconference portion of its schedule owning a 4-1 record — beating UW-Stevens Point (76-63), UW-Eau Claire 73-69), UW-Stout (78-450 and Northwestern (79-77), while dropping a 58-57 decision to UW-River Falls.
• NAILBITERS: Eleven of St. Olaf’s 20 games this season have been decided by 10 points or less — including seven of its last eight contests. Five of the Oles’ eight losses have been by eight points or less.
• STREAKING: St. Olaf has put together three, three-game winning streaks to account for nine of its 12 victories this season. On the flip side, the Oles have dropped three straight once, and are currently in the midst of a two-game slide.
• LEADING THE CHARGE: The Oles head into Wednesday’s road matchup against Saint Mary’s boasting three players who are averaging in double figures in scoring. Connor Martin leads the way at 14.7 ppg, followed by Nathan Hendler (12.9 ppg) and Kobe Kirk (12.4), while Michael Meriggioli is percentage points away with a 9.8 ppg scoring average. … Martin has delivered 21 or more points four times this season, with Hendler netting 20+ points twice. … Hendler owns the team’s single-game season-high with 27 points against Gustavus on Dec. 7.
• CLEANING THE GLASS: Meriggioli, Hendler, and Brendan Kauls have all amassed more than 100 rebounds this season. Meriggioli leads the way with 106 (5.3 rpg), two more than both Hendler and Kauls (104, 5.2 rpg). … Hendler has posted two,, 10-rebound games, while Charlie Haff has also delivered 10 or more rebounds in a game twice — including a season-high 17-rebound performance against UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 16.
• DOUBLING UP: Hendler owns both of St. Olaf’s double-doubles this year, posting 11 points and 10 rebounds against Hamline on Dec. 3, and adding a 16-point, 10-rebound night against Carleton on Jan. 11.
• FROM DOWNTOWN: St. Olaf has drained 118 3-pointers this season, led by Kirk with 29 and Hendler with 27. Meriggioli (16) and Kauls (11) have also knocked down more than 10 treys this season. … Hendler poured in a season-high six 3-pointers against Gustavus on Dec. 7.
• LENDING A HAND: Along with his team-leading scoring average, Martin also leads the squad in assists with 97. Meriggioli is a distant second with 47 helpers, followed by Hendler with 29 and Kauls with 21.
• BY THE NUMBERS: As a team, St. Olaf is shooting 48.1 percent from the field (552-for-1147), with 118 3-pointers, and have hit 183 of 286 free throws (64.0 %). … St. Olaf is averaging 70.2 ppg), while STO’s opponents are scoring at a 68.1 ppg clip. … The Oles have scored 80 or More points on three occasions this season, including a season-high 87-point effort in a 94-87 loss to Gustavus on Dec. 7. On the flip side, the Oles have been held under 60 points four times, including a season-low 52 points in falling to Hamline 60-52 on Dec. 3.
