SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2022-23: 11-8 MIAC, 15-9 Overall

GUSTAVUS GUSTIES

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

2022-23: 9-10 MIAC, 9-15 Overall

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SMU-GAC * EARLIER THIS YEAR:

L, 74-71 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Feb. 15, 2023 * Arden Hills, MN

Bethel * W, 83-67

GUSTAVUS * LAST ACTION:

Feb. 15, 2023 * St. Peter, MN

Hamline * L, 72-48

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

MIAC Playoffs

Feb. 21-23-25, 2023

Opponent/Time: TBA

GUSTAVUS * UP NEXT: 

End of Regular Season

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their regular-season finale against Gustavus on Saturday sitting at 15-9 overall, including a 11-8 showing in MIAC action.

• LAST TIME OUT: The Cardinals locked up their third MIAC Playoff appearance in the last five years, getting 29 points from Raheem Anthony (Chicago, Ill.) and 27 from Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) in cruising to an 83-67 win over Bethel Wednesday at Robertson Center Gym in Arden Hills, Minn.

• THEY’RE IN (AGAIN): With Wednesday’s victory, Saint Mary’s will make its third MIAC Playoff appearance in the last five seasons and appears to be headed for a No. 4 seed in the upcoming six-team playoffs. The Cardinals enter their regular-season finale tied with Macalester for third, one game back of second-place Saint John’s and one game up on Hamline. The only way SMU will not be home and hosting in Tuesday’s quarterfinals is if SJU & Macalester lose and SMU wins on Saturday (SMU would then be the No. 2 seed) OR if SMU & Macalester lose and Hamline wins, in which case Macalester is No. 3, Hamline No. 4, and SMU No. 5.

• REGIONAL RANKINGS: The Cardinals cracked into the latest NCAA Division III Region IX rankings; it was announced Thursday — marking the first time in program history SMU has been regionally ranked.. UW-Oshkosh is sitting No. 1, followed by Carleton, UW-La Crosse, UW-Eau Claire, Bethany Lutheran, UW-Whitewater, and Saint Mary's.

• SPEED BUMP: The Cardinals head into their regular-season finale against Gustavus having won four of their last five and 12 of their last 15 — a run that includes a program-record eight-game winning streak.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Saint Mary’s heads into its regular-season finale against Gustavus boasting a 9-2 record on their home court, while going 6-7 in 13 road contests.

• WIN NO. 15: With their win over Bethel on Wednesday, the Cardinals improved to 15-9 overall, marking the second time in five years under coach Joe Fano that SMU has recorded double figures in wins — having recorded 14 wins in 2019-20. … The 15 victories are the most 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 nine games have been decided by four points or less, while 16 of the Cardinals’ 24 games this season have been decided by 10 points or less — including 14 of 17 MIAC contests.

• DOUBLE-DIGIT AVERAGES: Anthony, who has scored in double figures in all 24 contests this season — and 61 times in his four-year collegiate career — is averaging a team- and conference-leading 24.5 ppg, while Ziegler and Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) are also averaging in double figures at 12.9 ppg and 12.6 ppg, respectively. … Anthony’s 24.5 ppg scoring average is not only tops in the conference, but is also No. 2 in all of NCAA Division III, behind E.J. Day of Lasell (25.3 ppg). 

• GREATER THAN 20: Saint Mary’s has had a player score 20 or more points in 18 of its 24 games this season — including 14 of their last 17 contests. … Anthony has scored 20+ points in a game 17 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 Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill.), and 21 each from Anthony and Ziegler. … SMU has had two or more players score 20+ points in the same game six 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 boast five players who have recorded 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 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 10th all-time with 1,357 career points. Next up: Lukas Holland ’11 (1,362) and Ken Jansen ’57 (1,544).

• HITTING DOUBLE DIGITS: Saint Mary’s has put at least three players in double figures in 18 of its 24 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 213 (8.9 rpg). Lockwood is sitting second with 103 rebounds (4.3 rpg), followed by Sawyer (81, 3.5 rpg), Buysman (80, 3.3 rpg), Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill. / 79, 3.3 rpg), and Ziegler (63, 2.6 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 26 points against Augsburg on Feb. 8, 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.

• PROGRAM’S SHARPEST SHARPSHOOTER: Ziegler 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 leads the team with 81 treys — 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 224 3-pointers in 24 games — are No. 1 in NCAA Division III in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 41.2 percent (224-for-544) from behind the arc. … Ziegler is currently sitting sixth in the country in 3-point FG percentage (47.4%). 

• LENDING A HAND: Along with leading the team in scoring and rebounding, Anthony also boasts a team-best 108 assists, followed by Sawyer with 63. … 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 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.

• 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 16 of its 24 games — including 40+ in both halves against Carleton (Dec. 3), Finlandia (Jan. 2), Hamline (Jan. 4), Augsburg (Jan. 16), and Bethell (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).

• WORKING OVERTIME: Saint Mary’s 87-85 loss to Hamline on Jan. 30 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 46.1 percent from the field (679-for-1472), with 224 3-pointers, and are 227-for-296 (76.7 %) from the free throw line. … Saint Mary’s is averaging 75.4 ppg, while the Cardinals’ opponents are scoring at a 70.8 ppg clip. … Saint Mary’s has scored 80 or more points in a game nine times this season, including a season-high 102 against Finlandia on Jan. 2.

GUSTAVUS GUSTIES SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Gusties head into their regular-season finale against Saint Mary’s sitting at 9-15 overall, including 9-10 in conference play

• LAST TIME OUT: Gustavus managed just 18 second-half points, as Hamline ousted GAC from post-season contention, dealing the Gusties a 72-48 MIAC setback at Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn.

• HITTING THE ROAD: After back-to-back home contests, the Gusties close out their regular-season schedule on the road on Saturday at Saint Mary’s. GAC concluded the home portion of its schedule with a 5-7 record, while sporting a 4-8 mark away from Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn.

• LIMPING IN: Gustavus heads into Saturday’s showdown against Saint Mary’s in the midst of a five-game losing streak, including Wednesday’s 72-48 loss to Hamline. GAC has not won since edging Augsburg 84-82 on Jan. 28. 

• LEADING THE CHARGE: Gustavus heads into Saturday’s regular-season finale against Saint Mary’s boasting four players who are averaging in double figures in scoring. Spencer Swanson leads the way for the Gusties, averaging 20.1 ppg. Evan Wieker (12.1 ppg), Jordan Schommer (11.5 ppg), and Adam Biewen (10.3 ppg) are also scoring more than 10 points a game. … GAC has had a player score 30 or more points in a game four times — including three by Swanson. Wieker owns a 30-point game, while Swanson has posted games of 31, 33, and a season-high 38 points this season.

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Along with his team-leading 20.1 ppg scoring average, Swanson also leads the Gusties in rebounds with 194 (8.4 rpg). Swanson is one of four Gusties who have eclipsed the 100-rebound plateau, being joined by Wieker (131, 5.7 rpg), Biewen (121, 5.3 rpg), and Jake Guse (109, 4.5 rpg). … Swanson owns GAC’s top two rebounding performances — both against Augsburg. Swanson pulled down 14 boards against the Auggies on Jan. 28, and a season-high 15 vs. AUG in the teams’ first meeting on Dec. 10.

• FROM DOWNTOWN: Gustavus has netted 157 3-pointers through 24 games, led by Schommer with 33. Swanson (27), Brady Kienitz (26), Wieker (23), and Biewen (19) have also delivered 10+ 3-pointers this season.

• LENDING A HAND: Gustavus boasts seven players with 20 or more assists this season, led by Wieker with 55, Biewen with 49, and Schommer with 41. Swanson (34), Guse (27), Kienitz (26), and Olson Wyatt (22) have also dished out more than 20 helpers this season.

• BLOCK PARTY: Guse has swatted his way to a team-best 29 blocks, nearly half the team’s 67 total blocks this season.

• BY THE NUMBERS: As a team, the Gusties are shooting 46.2 ppg (670-for-1450), with 157 3-pointers, and are 263-for-399 from the free throw line (65.9 %). … GAC is averaging 73.3 ppg, while the Gusties’ opponents are scoring at a 77.2 ppg clip.… The Gusties have scored 90 or more points three times this season — including tallying 97 points in a 97-88 win over Bethel in the teams' first meeting on Jan. 4. GAC added a 96-point effort against the Royals in the rematch, a 96-92 Gustie overtime victory. … On the flip side, GAC has been held under 60 points on five occasions, including a season-low 48-point showing in falling to Hamline on Wednesday.