SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2022-23: 10-7 MIAC, 14-8 Overall

SAINT JOHN’S JOHNNIES

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2022-23: 10-7 MIAC, 13-9 Overall

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SMU-SJU * EARLIER THIS YEAR:

W, 69-57 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Feb. 8, 2023 * Winona, MN

Augsburg * W, 75-67

SAINT JOHN’S * LAST ACTION:

Feb. 8, 2023 * Northfield, MN

Carleton * L, 77-72

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Feb. 15, 2023 * Arden Hills, MN

Bethel * 7:00

SAINT JOHN’S * UP NEXT: 

Feb. 15, 2023 * Collegeville, MN

Macalester * 7 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their conference showdown at Saint John’s on Saturday sitting at 14-8 overall, including a 10-7 showing in MIAC action.

• LAST TIME OUT: Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill.) scored a game-high 26 points and added 10 rebounds, and Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) became the program’s single-season leader in 3-pointers, as the Cardinals cruised to a 75-67 win over Augsburg Wednesday at the Saint Mary’s Gym. 

• LAST MEETING: The Cardinals’ 69-57 win over Saint John’s in their first meeting on Jan. 7 — 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.

• WIN AND THEY'RE IN: The Cardinals head into Saturday's game against Saint John's tied with the Johnnies for third place in the conference standings. SMU needs one win in its final three games to lock up an MIAC Playoff berth.

• BACK ON TRACK: The Cardinals head into Saturday’s matchup against Saint John’s having won three straight and 11 of their last 13 games — a run that includes a program-record eight-game winning streak. 

• HOME SWEET HOME: Wednesday’s game against Augsburg was the third straight home game for the Cardinals, who will hit the road for games at Saint John’s (Saturday) and Bethel (Feb. 15). SMU will then close out its regular-season schedule with a home showdown against Gustavus on Feb.18. … SMU boasts a 9-2 record on its home court this season, while going 5-6 in 11 road contests. 

• WIN NO. 14: With their win over Augsburg on Wednesday, the Cardinals improved to 14-9 overall — marking the second time in five years under coach Joe Fano that SMU has recorded 14 wins. The 14 wins are the most wins since George Drouches led Saint Mary’s to a 15-10 record during the 1984-85 season.

• CLOSE CALLS: Saint Mary’s went a stretch from Jan. 28-Feb. 1 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.

• CLOSE CALLS II: Six of Saint Mary’s last seven games have all been decided by four points or less, while 16 of the Cardinals’ 22 games this season have been decided by 10 points or less — including 13 of 17 MIAC contests.

• LEADING THE CHARGE: Anthony led the Cardinals in scoring against Augsburg Wednesday, scoring 26 points — including 16 in the second half — while Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) chipped in 13 points and Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill.) added 12.

• DOUBLE-DIGIT AVERAGES: Anthony, who has scored in double figures in all 22 contests this season — and 59 times in his four-year collegiate career — is averaging a team- and conference-leading 24.7 ppg, while Buysman and Ziegler are also averaging in double figures at 13.0 ppg and 12.6 ppg, respectively. … Anthony’s 24.7 ppg scoring average is not only tops in the conference, but is also No. 3 in all of NCAA Division III, behind Brody Fox of UW-Stout (25.8 ppg) and E.J. Day of Lasell (25.6 ppg). 

• GREATER THAN 20: Saint Mary’s has had a player score 20 or more points in 17 of its 22 games this season — including 13 of their last 15 contests. … Anthony has scored 20+ points in a game 16 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 Jan. 30, 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 Lockwood 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 on Jan. 21 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 tied for 10th all-time with 1,311 career points. Next up: Tom Keenan ’68 (1,330), and Lukas Holland ’11 (1,362).

• HITTING DOUBLE DIGITS: Saint Mary’s has put at least three players in double figures in 17 of its 22 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 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 leads the team in rebounds with 204 (9.3 rpg). Bruce Lockwood (Shakopee, Minn.) is sitting second with 92 rebounds (4.2 rpg), followed by Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill. / 80, 3.6 rpg), Buysman (74, 3.4 rpg, Mallory (72, 3.3 rpg), and Ziegler (59, 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 last Saturday, while Nick Falls (Plymouth, Wis.) notched a career-best 10 boards against Hamline on Jan.30.

• DOUBLING UP: Along with his 26 points against Augsburg on Wednesday, Anthony also delivered 10 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. … Anthony now owns 20 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, having first achieved the feat against Carleton on Dec. 3. … The Cardinals have knocked down 204 3-pointers this season, led by Ziegler with 73 and Buysman with 47.

• PROGRAM’S SHARPEST SHARPSHOOTER: Ziegler went 3-for-5 from behind the 3-point line against Augsburg on Wednesday, giving the junior 73 3-pointers this season, breaking the single-season record of 71, held by Donald Jordan during the 1994-95 season. … … 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.

• AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: The Cardinals — who have knocked down 204 3-pointers in 22 games — are tied with Washington (Mo.) University for No. 1 in NCAA Division III in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 40.9 percent (204-for-494) from behind the arc. … Ziegler is currently sitting fifth in the country in 3-point FG percentage (47.6%). 

• LENDING A HAND: Along with leading the team in scoring and rebounding, Anthony also boasts a team-best 98 assists, followed by Sawyer with 62. … 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 and Feb. 6, 2023. It was the fifth career MIAC Player of the Week honor for Anthony, who has also been named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week on Jan. 3, Jan. 10, and Jan. 24.

• 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 15 of its 22 games — including 40+ in both halves against Carleton (Dec. 3), Finlandia (Jan. 2), Hamline (Jan. 4), and Augsburg (Jan. 16).

• 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).

• WORKING OVERTIME: Saint Mary’s 87-85 loss to Hamline last 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 46.2 percent from the field (628-for-1359), with 204 3-pointers, and are 208-for-274 (75.9 %) from the free throw line. … Saint Mary’s is averaging 75.8 ppg, while the Cardinals’ opponents are scoring at a 70.1 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.

SAINT JOHN’S JOHNNIES SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: Saint John’s heads into Saturday’s showdown against Saint Mary’s sitting tied with the Cardinals for third place in the conference standings at 10-7, while sporting a 13-9 overall record.

• LAST TIME OUT: The Johnnies held a 10-point lead midway through the second half, but Carleton outscored SJU 24-9 over the final 9:31, as the league-leading Knights beat Saint John’s 77-72 Wednesday in Northfield, Minn.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Saturday’s game against Saint Mary’s is the first of back-to-back home games for the Johnnies, who will host Macalester on Wednesday, before closing out the regular season with a road tilt at Bethel next Saturday. … SJU sports an 8-2 record on its home court, while going 5-7 away from Sexton Arena — with one of those seven setbacks a 69-57 loss at Saint Mary’s on Jan. 7.

• LIMPING IN: Since falling to Saint Mary’s on Jan. 7, the Johnnies have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games — including back-to-back losses to Hamline (88-72) and Carleton (77-72) in their most recent two contests.

• LEADING THE CHARGE: Saint John’s enters Saturday’s rematch against Saint Mary’s boasting three players who are averaging in double figures in scoring. Ryan Thissen leads the way for SJU, averaging 17.6 ppg, while Mitchell Plombon and Kooper Vaughn are sitting at 11.3 ppg and 11.1 ppg, respectively. … Thissen has led the Johnnies in scoring 14 times this season — including each of the team’s last six games. … Thissen and Plombon have each posted a season-high 27-point game this season — Thissen against St. Olaf on Jan. 28 and Plombon vs. Macalester on Dec. 7.

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Plombon has hauled in a team-leading 140 rebounds (6.4 rpg), while Carson Schoeller (123, 5.9 rpg) and Thissen (102, 5.1 rpg) have also eclipsed the 100-rebound mark this season. … Plombon owns a pair of 13-rebound games this season, while Schoeller racked up 13 boards against UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 12 and hauled in season-high 16 rebounds against Gustavus 10 days later.

• RAINING IN 3s: Saint John’s has knocked down 139 3-pointers this season and is shooting 34.7 percent from beyond the arc (139-for-401). … Vaughn leads the way for SJU with 44 3s, followed by Zach Longueville (25), Schoeller (17), Brandon Adelman (16), and Kyle Johnson (13).

• LENDING A HAND: The Johnnies boast four players who have dished out 30 or more assists through 21 games, led by Longueville with 71. Thissen is second on the team with 66 helpers, while Vaughn (34) and Blake Berg (33) have also reached the 30-assist mark.

• BY THE NUMBERS: Saint John’s is shooting 49.2 percent from the field (593-for-1205), with 139 3-pointers, and a 239-for-311 (76.8 %) showing from the free throw line. … SJU is averaging 71.1 ppg, while limiting its opponents to just 64.4 ppg. … SJU has scored 78 points or more in five contests this season — including three games over 80 points. The Johnnies scored a season-high 83 points in beating Bethel 83-XX on Jan. 14. On the flip side, Saint John’s has been held under 60 points twice – falling to Saint Mary’s 69-57 on Jan. 7, and netting a season-low 56 points in dropping a XX-56 decision to Whitworth on Dec. 20.

• WHAT A RUN: The Johnnies closed out the 2021-22 season with a stellar 23-5 overall record, claiming their third straight MIAC tournament title, while falling to Calvin 77-71 in the opening round of the NCAA Division III national tournament. … The 23 wins a year ago marked the fourth straight 20+-win season for the Johnnies.