SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023-24: 2-8 MIAC, 3-12 Overall

SAINT JOHN’S JOHNNIES

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2023-24: 10-0 MIAC, 12-3 Overall

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SMU-SJU * LAST MEETING:

Nov. 29, 2023 * Collegeville, MN

 L, 90-64 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 13, 2024 * Winona, MN

Carleton * L, 75-73

SAINT JOHN’S * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 15, 2024 * Collegeville, MN

Gustavus * W, 73-70

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Jan. 20, 2024 * Winona, MN

St. Olaf * 3 p.m.

SAINT JOHN’S * UP NEXT: 

Jan. 20, 2024 * St. Paul, MN

Hamline * 3 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals enter their conference matchup against Saint John’s sitting at 3-12 overall, while owning a 2-8 mark in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Saint Mary’s put four players in double figures — led by Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill.) with 20 — but it was not enough, as Carleton scored on a buzzer-beating tip-in to deal Saint Mary’s a heartbreaking 75-73 home loss Saturday at the SMU Gym.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Wednesday’s game against Saint John’s is the second 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 2-6 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 Saint John’s boasting two players who are averaging in double figures in scoring. Mallory leads the way for SMU, owning a 16.6 ppg average, while Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) is close behind at 15.1 ppg. Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) and Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill.) are both percentage points away from averaging in double figures, sitting at 9.4 and 9.3 ppg, respectively. … Mallory or Buysman has led or shared the team lead in scoring in 12 of SMU’s 15 games.

• HITTING DOUBLE FIGURES: Mallory has scored in double figures in 12 of SMU’s 15 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 12 times this season — 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 11 times this season. Mallory has accomplished the feat seven 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.) tallied a career-best 12 against Carleton 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 five players with 50 or more rebounds through 15 games, led by Lockwood with 76 (5.4 rpg). Buysman owns 68 boards (4.5 rpg), followed by Mallory (67, 4.5 rpg), Sawyer (57, 3.8 rpg), and Moore (52, 3.5 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 105 of 287 3-point attempts this season (33.2 %) — including a season-high 12 treys against UW-River Falls on Nov. 18. … Ziegler leads the team with 40 treys, followed by Buysman with 18, Mallory with 15, and Khai Branham (Bemidji, Minn.) with 13. … Ziegler has drained a season-high five 3-pointers in a game three times — vs. St. Olaf on Dec. 2, vs. St. Scholastica four days later, and vs. Carleton last Saturday. … 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 169 3-pointers during his four-year career.

• LENDING A HAND: Sawyer and Ziegler lead the way for SMU with 48 and 45 assists, respectively. Buysman (26), Mallory (20), Moore (16), and Lockwood (12) 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 45.0 percent from the field (404-for-898), with 105 3-pointers, and are 126 of 185 (68.1 %) from the free throw line. … SMU is averaging 69.2 ppg, with its opponents are scoring at a 77.6 ppg clip. … Saint Mary’s has scored 70 or more points seven 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.

SAINT JOHN’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Johnnies head into their mid-week road showdown with Saint Mary’s sitting at 12-3 overall, while leading the league with a perfect 10-0 conference record.

• LAST TIME OUT: Saint John’s rallied from a seven-point deficit with just over four minutes remaining in regulation to beat Gustavus 73-70 Monday evening in Collegeville, Minn.

• ROAD WARRIORS: The Johnnies’ game at Saint Mary’s Wednesday is the first of back-to-back road games for the Johnnies, who are in the midst of playing seven of eight games away from home — the lone exception, Monday’s 73-70 win over Gustavus. … SJU is a perfect 5-0 in its five home contests this season, while sporting a 7-3 showing away from Sexton Arena in Collegeville, Minn. 

• ROLLING ALONG: SJU heads into its showdown against Saint Mary’s riding a four-game winning streak. … After opening the season with back-to-back losses to UW-Eau Claire (82-69) and UW-Platteville (80-78), the Johnnies have gone 12-1 in their last 13 games, including a season-high eight-game winning streak. SJU’s lone loss during its current run was a 76-65 nonconference setback to Mount Union on Dec. 20.

• CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD: The Johnnies boast a trio of players who are averaging in double figures in scoring, led by Kooper Vaughn, who is scoring at a 14.3 ppg clip. Ryan Thissen (13.3 ppg) and Blake Berg (11.4 ppg) are also averaging in double figures through 15 games. … The Johnnies have had six different players lead them in scoring, led by Vaughn (6) and Thissen (5).

• GREATER THAN 20: Saint John’s has had five players score 20 or more points in a game, with Thissen accounting for three of them — scoring 21 against Bethel (Jan. 10), 27 vs. Concordia (Dec. 6), and a season-high 29 against Nazareth (Dec. 19). Berg (20) and Vaughn (23) have also posted 20-plus point games this season.

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Connor Schwob has pulled down a team-leading 68 rebounds (4.9 rpg), and is one of five Johnnies with 40 or more boards this season. Thissen (49, 3.3 rpg), Griffin Rushin (48, 3.2 rpg), Luke Budzyn (44, 6.3 rpg), and Vaughn (40, 2.7 rpg) have also reached the 40-rebound plateau, while Brandon Adelman (39, 2.6 rpg) is just one board away from joining the group. … SJU has had a player haul in 10+ rebounds five times, including a season-high 12-rebound effort by Budzyn against Stockton on Nov. 18. … Budzyn owns the team’s lone double-double, posting 11 points and 10 boards against UW-Platteville on Nov. 17.

• FROM BEYOND THE ARC: SJU is shooting 38.4 percent from behind the 3-point line (126-for-328), and have gotten at least one 3-pointer 11 different players. … Thissen has amassed a team-leading 42 3-pointers, shooting 48.3 % from behind the arc (42-for-87). … Thissen is one of five Johnnies would have knocked down 10+ triples, being joined by Zach Longueville (19), Kyle Johnson (16), Rushin (14), and Adelman. … SJU knocked down a single-game, season-high 14 3-pointers against both Stockton (Nov. 18) and Augsburg (Dec. 4, while Longueville’s five 3s against Stockton on Nov. 18 are also a season-best.

• LENDING A HAND: Thissen has delivered a team-leading 33 assists, while Longueville (26), Luke Healy (23), Berg (22), and Adelman (20) have reached the 20-assist mark.  

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS:As a team, the Johnnies are shooting 50.3 percent from the field (441-for-877), with 126 3-pointers, while going 236-for-297 (79.5 %) from the free throw line. … SJU is averaging 82.9 ppg, and is limiting its opponents to just 69.7 ppg through 15 contests. … Saint John’s has scored 90 or more points four times this season, and has reached the century mark twice — beating Augsburg 112-54 on Dec. 4, and dropping Macalester 101-79 five days later. … Nine of SJU’s 12 wins this season have been by more than 10 points, the only exceptions, a seven-point win over Concordia (77-70), a three-point win over Gustavus *73-70), and a two-point victory over Carleton (74-72).