SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023-24: 2-7 MIAC, 3-10 Overall

GUSTAVUS GUSTIES

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2023-24: 6-1 MIAC, 7-5 Overall

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SMU-GUSTAVUS * A YEAR AGO:

L, 74-71 * W, 77-69 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 6, 2024 * Winona, MN

Macalester * W, 83-56

GUSTAVUS * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 6, 2024 * St. Peter, MN

Bethel * 80-71 (ot)

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Jan. 13, 2024 * Winona, MN

Carleton * 3 p.m.

GUSTAVUS * UP NEXT: 

Jan. 14, 2024 * St. Paul, MN

Hamline * 3 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals enter their conference matchup against Gustavus sitting at 3-10 overall, while owning a 2-7 mark in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill.) scored a career-high 27 points and Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) knocked down four 3-pointers to become SMU’s all-time leader in made 3-pointers, as the Cardinals rolled to an 83-56 win over Macalester last Saturday at the SMU Gym.

• HOME SWEET HOME: After three straight home games, the Cardinals make a brief “road trip” to Gustavus Wednesday, before returning home to host Carleton, Saint John’s, and St. Olaf in their next three games. … Saint Mary’s is currently 2-5 on its home court, while sporting an identical 1-5 record away from the Saint Mary’s Gym..

• STREAKING: With their lopsided 83-56 win over Macalester last Saturday, SMU put an end to its three-game losing streak. … The Cardinals’ 12-point, 92-80 win over St. Scholastica on Dec. 6 snapped 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: The Cardinals head into their matchup against Gustavus boasting two players who are averaging in double figures in scoring. Mallory leads the way for SMU, owning a 16.2 ppg average, while Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) is close behind at 15.9 ppg. Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill.) is percentage points away from averaging in double digits, sitting at 9.3 ppg, followed by Ziegler at 8.6 ppg. … Mallory or Buysman has led or shared the team lead in scoring in 10 of SMU’s 13 games.

• HITTING DOUBLE FIGURES: Mallory has scored in double figures in 10 of SMU’s 13 contests. He has set a single-game career high four 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. He improved on that mark with 25 points against St. Scholastica on Dec. 6, before delivering his new career-best with 27 points against Macalester last Saturday. … Buysman has also scored in double figures in 10 of SMU’s 13 games — including a season-high 24-point effort three times — against Hamline on Nov. 21, vs. St. Scholastica on Dec. 6, and against Bethel on Dec. 9.

• GREATER THAN 20: Saint Mary’s has had a player score 20 or more points in a game 10 times this season. Mallory has accomplished the feat six times, while Buysman has 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 in a game three times this season. Mallory’s 27-point showing against Macalester last Saturday was a career high, while Jemari Moore (Broadview, Ill.) delivered a career-high 14 points against Concordia on Dec. 4 and Bruce Lockwood (Shakopee, Minn.) 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 put five players in double figures in the same game since Jan. 15, 2022.

• ON THE GLASS: Saint Mary’s boasts four players with 50 or more rebounds through 13 games, led by Lockwood with 66 (5.5 rpg). Buysman and Mallory both own 59 boards (4.5 rpg), and Sawyer is sitting with 54 rebounds (4.1 rpg). … Lockwood (three times), Mallory, Buysman, and Moore have all posted season-high eight-rebound performances this season. … As a team, Saint Mary’s matched its season high with 36 rebounds against Augsburg last Wednesday. SMU also corralled 36 boards against UW-La Crosse on Dec. 13.

• 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 has made 89 of 272 3-point attempts this season (32.7 %) — including a season-high 12 treys against UW-River Falls on Nov. 18. … Ziegler leads the team with 31 treys, followed by Buysman with 16, Mallory with 13, and Khai Branham (Bemidji, Minn.) with 11. … Ziegler has drained a season-high five 3-pointers in a game twice — vs. St. Olaf on Dec. 2 and vs. St. Scholastica four days later. … 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.

• ALL-TIME LEADER: With the first of his four 3-pointers against Macalester last Saturday, Ziegler became the program’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made. Ziegler, who finished with 16 points in the Cardinals’ 83-56 win over the Scots, has now drained a program-record 160 3-pointers during his four-year career.

• LENDING A HAND: Sawyer and Ziegler lead the way for SMU with 42 and 41 assists, respectively. Buysman (20), Mallory (17), Moore (10), and Lockwood (10) have also reached double figures in helpers. … Sawyer collected a season-high seven assists against St. Olaf on Dec. 2.

• 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.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: The Cardinals are shooting 45.2 percent from the field (354-for-784), with 89 3-pointers, and are 101 of 145 (69.7 %) from the free throw line. … SMU is averaging 69.1 ppg, with its opponents are scoring at a 77.0 ppg clip. … Saint Mary’s has scored 70 or more points six times — including three games of 80+ points. SMU netted a season-high 92 points against St. Scholastica on Dec. 6. On the flip side, Saint Mary’s has surrendered 80 or more points five times, including allowing 90+ points on three occasions. … 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.

GUSTAVUS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Gusties head into their mid-week matchup against Saint Mary’s sitting at 7-5 overall, including 6-1 in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Gustavus suffered its first conference loss of the season last Saturday, as Bethel outscored the Gusties 11-2 in the five-minute extra session in dealing GAC an 80-71 setback at Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minn.

• STILL COMING IN HOT: Despite last Saturday’s loss to Bethel, the Gusties have bene on a tear of late, winning seven of their last nine games — including putting together a season-high six-game winning streak.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Wednesday’s game is the second of back-to-back home games for the Gusties, who sport a 3-2 mark at Gus Young Court. GAC has gone 4-3 in its seven road contests this season.

• CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD: Gustavus boasts three players who are averaging in double figures in scoring, led by Spencer Swanson, who owns a 21.3 ppg scoring average. Wyatt Olson (14.0 ppg) and Evan Wieker (13.2 ppg) also boast scoring averages in double digits. … Swanson has scored 10 or more points in 11 of the team’s 12 games, and has collected 20+ points eight times. … Swanson delivered a single-game season-high 28 points on two separate occasions — scoring 28 against Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 18 and equaling that mark against Macalester on Dec. 6. … Swanson led the team in scoring in nine of their first 10 games, with Olson and Wieker owning the team’s top scoring performances in GAC’s last two games.

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Along with his 21.3 ppg scoring average, Swenson also leads the team in rebounds, sitting just one board shy of the century mark (99, 8.3 rpg). Swanson is one of three Gusties with 60 or more rebounds through 12 games, being joined by Olson (80, 6.7 rpg) and Wieker (61, 5.1 rpg). … Swanson has reached double figures in rebounds four times, including a season-high 12-rebound effort against UW-River Falls on Nov. 15, and owns three double-doubles. … Olson pulled down a single-games season-high 13 points — to go along with 27 points — against Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 18.

• FROM BEYOND THE ARC: As a team, Gustavus has poured in 97 3-pointers this season, shooting 39.1 percent from behind the arc (97-for-248). … Swanson leads the team with 26 3-pointers, one more than Kienitz, while Wieker (11), Adam Biewen (11), and Ashton Dingmann (10) have also knocked down at least 10 treys.

• LENDING A HAND: Swanson leads five Gusties who have recorded at least 10 assists through 12 games, dishing out 31 helpers. Biewen is second on the team with 22, followed by Jonah Anderson with 18, Kienitz with 12, and Wieker with 11.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: As a team, Gustavus is shooting 50.6 percent from the field (357-for-705), with 97 3-pointers, while going 144-for-206 (69.9 %) from the free throw line. … The Gusties are averaging 79.6 ppg, with their opponents scoring at a 74.0 ppg clip. … Gustavus has outscored its opponents in both halves — 454-419 in the first and 499-458 in the second — but were outscored 11-2 in their only overtime game. … After failing to score 70 points in their first three games of the season — all losses — GAC has been held under 80 points just three times in their last nine games. … The Gusties have eclipsed the 90-point mark four times, including a season-high 97-point effort against St. Olaf in a 97-59 win on Nov. 21.