SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023-24: 2-7 MIAC, 3-11 Overall

CARLETON KNIGHTS

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2023-24: 4-4 MIAC, 7-6 Overall

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SMU-CARLETON * A YEAR AGO:

W, 85-66 * L, 65-63 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 10, 2024 * St. Peter, MN

Gustavus * L, 88-68

CARLETON * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 10, 2024 * St. Paul, MN

Macalester * L, 87-72

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Jan. 17, 2024 * Winona, MN

Saint John’s * 7 p.m.

CARLETON * UP NEXT: 

Jan. 15, 2024 * Northfield, MN

Bethel * 7 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals enter their conference matchup against Carleton sitting at 3-11 overall, while owning a 2-8 mark in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Saint Mary’s put three players in double figures — led by Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill.) with 19 — but the Cardinals’ could not overcome Gustavus’ 19-2 run to end the first half, as the Gusties dealt SMU an 88-68 MIAC setback Wednesday in St. Peter, Minn.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Saturday’s game against Carleton is the first of three straight home games for the Cardinals, who are in the midst of playing six of seven games on their home floor — the lone exception, last Wednesday’s 88-68 loss at Gustavus. … Saint Mary’s is currently 2-5 on its home court, while sporting a 1-6 record away from the Saint Mary’s Gym..

• STREAK-SNAPPERS: 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 Carleton boasting two players who are averaging in double figures in scoring. Mallory leads the way for SMU, owning a 16.4 ppg average, while Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) is close behind at 15.5 ppg. Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill.) is percentage points away from averaging in double digits, sitting at 9.3 ppg, followed by Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) at 8.9 ppg. … Mallory or Buysman has led or shared the team lead in scoring in 11 of SMU’s 14 games.

• HITTING DOUBLE FIGURES: Mallory has scored in double figures in 11 of SMU’s 14 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 on Jan. 6. … Buysman has also scored in double figures in 11 of SMU’s 14 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 on Jan. 6 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 14 games, led by Lockwood with 70 (5.4 rpg). Buysman owns 63 boards (4.5 rpg), followed by Mallory (63, 4.4 rpg) and Sawyer (57, 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 98 of 287 3-point attempts this season (33.0 %) — including a season-high 12 treys against UW-River Falls on Nov. 18. … Ziegler leads the team with 35 treys, followed by Buysman with 18, Mallory with 14, and Khai Branham (Bemidji, Minn.) with 12. … 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 on Jan. 6, Ziegler became the program’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made. Ziegler has now drained a program-record 164 3-pointers during his four-year career.

• LENDING A HAND: Ziegler and Sawyer lead the way for SMU with 43 assists each. Buysman (23), Mallory (18), Moore (13), 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 45.1 percent from the field (380-for-843), with 98 3-pointers, and are 108 of 161 (67.1 %) from the free throw line. … SMU is averaging 69.0 ppg, with its opponent scoring at a 77.8 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 six 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.

CARLETON SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Knights head into their Saturday’s matchup against Saint Mary’s sitting at 7-6 overall, including a 4-4 mark through the first eight games of the conference schedule.

• LAST TIME OUT: Carleton was held to 28 second-half points, as Macalester erased a four-point halftime deficit, outscoring the Knights 47-28 over the game’s final 20 minutes en route to an 87-72 victory Wednesday in St. Paul, Minn.

• ROAD WARRIORS: Saturday’s game at Saint Mary’s is the last of three consecutive road games for the Knights, who will return home for back-to-back games against Bethel (Monday) and Gustavus (Wednesday). … Carleton has been near-perfect on its home floor, going 4-1, while sporting a 3-5 mark away from West Gym.

• LIMPING IN: With their 87-72 loss to Macalester on Wednesday, the Knights have now dropped two straight and three of their last four. … After opening the season 2-3, the Knights rattled off a season-high four straight wins, before its recent 1-3 run. 

• CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD: Carleton boasts three players who are averaging in double figures in scoring, led by Luke Harris, who boasts a 21.7 ppg scoring average through 13 games. Matt Banovetz (15.1 ppg) and Sam Koelling (10.6 ppg) are also averaging in double figures in scoring. … Harris, who became the 31st player in program history to reach 1,000 career points in Carleton’s loss to Macalester on Wednesday, has scored 10 or more points in all 13 games this season — and owns nine games with 20+ points. … Harris netted a season-high 31 points against Saint Joh’s on Nov. 21. … Koelling poured in a career-high 24 points against Macalester on Wednesday.

• LEADING THE CHARGE: Harris or Banovetz has led the Knights in scoring in 12 of their 13 games, the lone exception, Koelling’s career-high, team-leading 24-point effort against Macalester on Wednesday.

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Banovetz has amassed a team-high 94 rebounds (7.2) and is one of three Knights who have hauled in at least 80 boards through 13 games, being joined by Spencer Goetz (89, 6.8 rpg) and Harris (81, 6.2 rpg). … Banovetz and Goetz have each reached double figures in rebounds twice this season, with Banovetz’s 16-rebound effort against Hamline on Jan. 3 the team’s single-game season high. … Banovetz owns both of Carleton’s double-doubles this season — scoring 23 points and adding 12 rebounds against St. Olaf on Dec. 4, and tallying 20 points and 17 boards against Hamline on Jan. 3.

• FROM BEYOND THE ARC: Carleton has knocked down 98 3-pointers this season, shooting 30.6 percent from behind the arc (98-for-320). … Banovetz leads the team with 28 3s, going 28-for-91 (30.8 %) from downtown, with Alex Gibbons (18), Chuck Sweet (13), Harris (11) and Miles Frisch (10) also reaching double digits in 3-pointers made. … Carleton drained a season-high 13 3-pointers against Northwestern (Minn.) on Dec. 13, while Banovetz’s five treys against Pomona Pitzer on Nov. 24 were also a single-game season high.

• LENDING A HAND: Harris owns a team-leading 45 assists, five more than Goetz, with Banovetz (24), Gibbons (21), and Gabriel Cummings (11) also dishing out at least 10 helpers this season. … Goetz and Harris have each delivered a season-high nine assists in a game — Harris against Pomona Pitzer on Nov. 24 and Goetz vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps the following day.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: As a team, Carleton is shooting 41.9 percent from the field (344-for-821), with 98 3-pointers, and has gone 177-for-234 (75.6 %) from the free throw line. … The Knights are averaging 74.1 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at a 72.3 ppg clip. … Carleton has scored 80 or more points five times this season, including a season-high 93-point effort in beating Augsburg 93-64 on Dec. 6. On the flip side, the Knights’ opponents have netted 80+ points four times, with Concordia pouring in a season-high 93 in beating Carleton 93-83 on Jan. 6.