SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023-24: 1-5 MIAC, 2-9 Overall

AUGSBURG AUGGIES

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2023-24: 1-5 MIAC, 3-8 Overall

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SMU-AUGSBURG * A YEAR AGO:

W, 91-57 * W, 75-67 * Series History 

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Dec. 13, 2023 * Winona, MN

UW-La Crosse * L, 74-59

AUGSBURG * LAST ACTION:

Dec. 19-20, 2023 * San Juan, Puerto, Rico

Lancaster * L, 75-59; Albright * L, 84-77

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Jan. 6, 2023 * Winona, MN

Macalester * 3 p.m.

AUGSBURG * UP NEXT: 

Jan. 6, 2023 * St. Paul, MN

Hamline * 3 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals return from the holiday break for their conference showdown against Augsburg sitting at 2-9 overall, while sitting at 1-5 in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) knocked down four 3-pointers and was a perfect 1-for-1 from the free throw line in the Cardinals’ 74-59 nonconference loss to UW-La Crosse on Dec. 13.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Wednesday’s matchup against Augsburg 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. … Saint Mary’s is currently 1-4 on its home court, while sporting a 1-5 record away from the Saint Mary’s Gym..

• 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.

• STREAKING: With their 12-point, 92-80 win over St. Scholastica on Dec. 6, the Cardinals put an end to 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: Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) leads the way for the Cardinal offense, averaging 15.9 ppg through 11 games, while Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill.) is also averaging in double figures at 14.8 ppg). Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill.) is percentage points away from averaging in double digits, sitting at 9.5 ppg, followed by Ziegler at 8.5 ppg. … Mallory or Buysman have led or shared the team lead in scoring in eight of SMU’s first 11 games.

• HITTING DOUBLE FIGURES: Mallory has scored in double figures in eight of SMU’s 11 contests. He has set a new single-game career high three 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, before pouring in a new career-best with 25 points against St. Scholastica on Dec. 6. … Buysman has also scored in double figures in eight of SMU’s 11 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 eight times this season. Mallory has accomplished the feat four times, while Buysman — who has posted 24-point performances in two of SMU’s last three games — has also 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 25-point showing against St. Scholastica on Dec. 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 has put five players in double figures in the same game since Jan. 15, 2022.

• ON THE GLASS: Saint Mary’s boasts four players with 40 or more rebounds through 11 games, led by Lockwood with 50 (5.0 rpg). Sawyer owns 47 boards (4.3 rpg), followed by Buysman (46, 4.2 rpg) and Mallory (46, 4.2 rpg). … Mallory, Lockwood, and Buysman have all posted season-high eight-rebound performances this season. … Lockwood finished second on the team with 115 rebounds (4.6 rpg) a year ago, and posted a career-high 11 rebounds against St. Scholastica on Feb. 4, 2023.

• 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 76 of 227 3-point attempts this season (33.5 %) — including a season-high 12 treys against UW-River Falls on Nov. 18. … Ziegler leads the team with 26 treys, followed by Buysman with 13, Khai Branham (Bemidji, Minn.) with 11, and Mallory with 10. … 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.

• LENDING A HAND: Ziegler and Sawyer lead the way for SMU with 37 and 36 assists, respectively, with Buysman (18) and Mallory (15) also reaching double figures in helpers. … The Cardinals recorded a season-high 19 assists in their first meeting against Gustavus last season. SMU’s 19-assist effort was the most in a game since the Cardinals dished out 20 helpers against Augsburg on Feb. 2, 2021.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: The Cardinals are shooting 45.6 percent from the field (300-for-658), with 76 3-pointers, and are 84 of 124 (67.7 %) from the free throw line. … SMU is averaging 69.1 ppg, with its opponents scoring at an 80.3 ppg clip. … Saint Mary’s has scored 70 or more points in five of its first nine games — including a season-high 92 points against St. Scholastica on Dec. 6. … 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.

AUGSBURG SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Auggies head into their road matchup against Saint Mary’s sitting at 3-8 overall, including sporting a 1-5 mark through the first six games of conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Augsburg came up empty during its two games at the Puerto Rico Classico in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Dec. 19-20, falling to Lancaster Bible College 74-59 on Dec. 19, and dropping an 84-77 decision to Albright College the following day.

• ROAD WARRIORS: Wednesday’s matchup at Saint Mary’s is the third of four straight road games for the Auggies, who played both Lancaster and Albright in Puerto Rico in their final two games of 2023, and will head to Hamline on Saturday, before finally returning home to Si Melby Hall to host Macalester on Jan. 13. …  Augsburg is 2-4 on its home court, while sitting at 1-4 on the road.

• LIMPING IN: Augsburg kicks off the 2024 portion of its schedule having dropped six in a row. The Auggies beat UW-Stout 113-111 in a two-overtime thriller on Nov. 25 and St. Scholastica (77-73 four days later, but have since lost to Gustavus (93-61), Saint John’s (112-54), Carleton (93-64), St. Olaf (88-77), Lancaster (74-59), and Albright (84-77). 

• CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD: The Auggies enter Wednesday’s game against Saint Mary’s boasting two players who are averaging in double figures in scoring. Will Blascziek leads the Auggies with a 13.5 ppg scoring average, with Colin Meade close behind at 12.1 ppg. Trent Gomez is just percentage points from hitting the double-digit average, sitting at 9.7, while Elias Batala is fourth on the team, averaging 8.9 ppg. … Augsburg has had five different players lead the team in scoring through 11 games.

• GREATER THAN 20: Augsburg has had a player score 20 or more points in a game three times. Gomez netted 20 against St. Olaf on Dec. 9, Blascziek netted 24 against St. Scholastica on Nov. 28, and added a season-high 31 points against UW-Stout on Nov. 24.

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Austin Jentzen has hauled in a team-leading 59 rebounds (5.4 rpg) through 11 games. He is one of four Auggies to amass 40+ boards this season, being joined by Isaac Rabsey (56, 5.1 rpg), Blascziek (45, 4.1 rpg), and Gomez (42, 3.8 rpg). … Isaac Rabaey pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds against St. Scholastica on Nov. 29. It marks the only time this season the Auggies have had a player reach double figures in rebounds.

• FROM BEYOND THE ARC: Augsburg has netted 60 3-pointers in 11 games, led by Blascziek with 19 and Gomez with 13, with Batala sitting third with nine treys. … Augsburg has gotten at least one 3-pointer from seven different players. … The Auggies drained a season-high 10 3-pointers against UMN Morris on Nov. 14. Individually, Blascziek hit on a season-best five treys against UW-Stout on Nov. 25. 

• LENDING A HAND: The Auggies have five players who have reached double figures in assists this season. Gomez leads the way with 26 helpers, followed by Caden Scales (19), Jalen Dearring (13), Blascziek (11), and Jentzen (11).

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS:As a team, Augsburg is shooting 44.1 percent from the field, going 286-for-649. The Auggies are 60 of 198 (30.3 %) from behind the 3-point line and are 178-for-264 (67.4 %) from the free throw line. … Augsburg is averaging 73.6 ppg, while its opponents are scoring at an 88.6 ppg clip. … The Auggies have scored 70 or more points in six of their 11 games, including 85 points in an 85-79 season-opening win over North Central (Minn.) on Nov. 8, and a season-high 113 points in a 113-111 double-overtime win over UW-Stout on Nov. 25. On the flip side, Augsburg has allowed 70+ points in all 11 games, and has surrendered 100 or more points twice — 111 against UW-Stout on Nov.. 25 and a season-high 112 vs. Saint John’s in a 112-54 loss on Dec. 4.