SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023-24: 4-10 MIAC, 5-14 Overall

CONCORDIA COBBERS

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2023-24: 7-6 MIAC, 11-7 Overall

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SMU-CONCORDIA * LAST MEETING:

Dec. 1, 2023 * Winona, MN

L, 71-57 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 27, 2024 * Winona, MN

Bethel * W, 85-76

CONCORDIA * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 27, 2024 * St. Paul, MN

Hamline * W, 71-68

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Feb. 3, 2024 * St. Paul, MN

Macalester * 3 p.m.

CONCORDIA * UP NEXT: 

Feb. 3, 2024 * Northfield, MN

Carleton * 3 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals enter their road conference matchup against Concordia sitting at 5-14 overall, while owning a 4-10 mark in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Down by nine at the half, the Cardinals — led by Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill.) and Kai Branham (Bemidji, Minn.) — erupted for 52 second-half points in rallying for a thrilling, 85-76 conference win over Bethel Saturday at the SMU Gym.

• HITTING THE ROAD: Saturday’s game against Bethel was the fourth home game in the five-game span for the Cardinals — the lone road game, last Wednesday’s loss at Hamline. … SMU will now play three of its next four contests on the road, beginning with Wednesday’s showdown with Concordia. … Saint Mary’s is currently 4-7 on its home court, while sporting a 1-7 record away from the Saint Mary’s Gym..

• STREAK-SNAPPERS: The Cardinals’ thrilling 74-72, last-second win over St. Olaf on Jan. 20 put an end to their three-game losing streak. … SMU’s 83-56 victory over Macalester on Jan. 6 also snapped a three-game SMU losing streak, while the Cardinals’ 12-point, 92-80 win over St. Scholastica on Dec. 6 snapped their season-high four-game losing streak. … SMU’s win against the Saints on Dec. 6 was its fifth straight win against the St. Scholastica and moved the Cardinals to 7-1 against CSS all-time.

• SATURDAY SUCCESS: The Cardinals have gone 3-1 in their last four Saturday games, including back-to-back victories against St. Olaf (74-72) and Bethel (85-76) in their last two Saturday contests. 

• BIG HALF: Saint Mary’s poured in a season-high 52 points in last Saturday’s come-from-behind, 85-76 win over Bethel. It was the fifth time this season SMU has scored 40 or more points in a half — achieving the feat twice in the first half and three times in the second.

• CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD: The Cardinals head into their matchup against Concordia boasting two players who are averaging in double figures in scoring. Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill.) leads the way for SMU, owning a 16.0 ppg average, while Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) is close behind at 14.8 ppg. Sawyer and Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) are both percentage points away from averaging in double figures, sitting at 9.7 and 8.9 ppg, respectively. … Mallory or Buysman has led or shared the team lead in scoring in 15 of SMU’s 19 games.

• HITTING DOUBLE FIGURES: Mallory has scored in double figures in 15 of SMU’s 19 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 scored in double figures 15 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 13 times this season — including a 23-point effort by Sawyer against Bethel last Saturday. Mallory has reached the 20-point mark eight times this season, while Buysman has netted 20+ points four times and Sawyer has one.

• 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 Sawyer’s 23-point performance against Bethel last Saturday was a new career best. Jemari Moore (Broadview, Ill. / 14) and Bruce Lockwood (Shakopee, Minn. / 14) have also posted career-high games of 10+ points.

• 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 19 games, led by Lockwood with a single-season career-high 102 (5.7 rpg). Buysman owns 92 boards (4.8 rpg), followed by Mallory (78, 4.1 rpg), Sawyer (68, 3.6 rpg), and Moore (57, 3.0 rpg). … Lockwood pulled down a season- and career-high 12 rebounds against Saint John’s on Jan. 17. …  Buysman matched his career-high nine rebounds against St. Olaf on Jan. 20, while Mallory and Moore have both posted season-best eight-rebound performances this season. … As a team, Saint Mary’s matched its season high with 36 rebounds against Augsburg on Jan. 3. SMU also corralled 36 boards against UW-La Crosse on Dec. 13.

• DOUBLING UP: With his career-highs in points (14) and rebounds (12) against Saint John’s on Jan. 17, Lockwood collected his first collegiate double-double. Lockwood’s double-double is the Cardinals’ first of the season.

• 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 131 of 375 3-point attempts this season (34.9 %) — including a season-high 12 treys against UW-River Falls on Nov. 18. … Ziegler leads the team with 46 3s, followed by Buysman with 24, Mallory with 18, Khai Branham (Bemidji, Minn.) with 16, and Sawyer with 11. … 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 on Jan. 13. … The Cardinals have gotten at least one 3 from nine 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 176 3-pointers during his four-year career.

• LENDING A HAND: Sawyer and Ziegler lead the way for SMU with 57 and 53 assists, respectively. Buysman (31), Mallory (26), Moore (21), Lockwood (12), and Branham (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 (513-for-1136), with 131 3-pointers, and are 165 of 235 (70.2 %) from the free throw line. … SMU is averaging 69.5 ppg, with its opponents scoring at a 78.6 ppg clip. … Saint Mary’s has scored 70 or more points nine 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 eight 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.

CONCORDIA SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cobbers take the court for Wednesday’s mid-week conference matchup against Saint Mary’s owning an 11-7 overall record, while sitting at 7-6 through the first 13 games of their conference slate.

• LAST TIME OUT: The Cobbers rallied from a five-point deficit in the second half, outscoring the host Pipers 37-28 in the game’s final 20 minutes, as CC put an end to the Pipers’ seven-game winning streak with a 71-68 conference victory Saturday in St. Paul, Minn.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Wednesday’s game against Saint Mary’s is the fourth home game in the last five contests for the Cobbers — the lone road game, last Saturday’s three-point win over Hamline. … CC has recorded eight of its 11 wins away from Memorial Auditorium this season. CC is 3-4 on its home floor, while owning an 8-3 mark on the road.

• ROLLERCOASTER RIDE: It’s been an up-and-down month of January for the Cobbers, who dropped two of their first three games to kick off 2024, before beating ST. Scholastica (73-37) and Augsburg (73-64), only to lose back-to-back decisions to Bethel (76-61) and Macalester (92-88), prior to Saturday’s victory over Hamline.

• CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD: Concordia heads into Wednesday’s showdown with Saint Mary’s boasting four players who are averaging in double figures in scoring, led by Matthew Johnson, who owns a 15.7 ppg scoring average. Rowan Nelson (13.4 ppg), Jackson Loge (12.1 ppg), and Jacob Cook (10.7 ppg) are also scoring more than 10 points a game this season. … Johnson and Jackson have both scored at least 10 points in 16 of the team’s 18 games. … Loge (twice) and Johnson have each recorded a single-game, season-high 27 points. … CC has had six different players lead the team in scoring, led by Johnson, who has achieved the feat five times. Cook has been the team-leader in three of CC’s last four games.

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Cook has amassed a team-best 133 rebounds (7.4 rpg) — including 104 defensive boards — while Loge has also eclipsed the century mark with 105 rebounds (5.8 rpg). … Noah Christensen (80, 4.7 rpg) and Nelson (72, 4.5 rpg) have also pulled down 70+ rebounds this season. … Cook has posted three games of 10 or more rebounds, while Loge has hauled in at least 10 boards in a game twice. … All three of Cook’s double-digit rebound performance have resulted in a double-double, with Loge owning the Cobbers’ other double-double.

• FROM BEYOND THE ARC: The Cobbers are shooting 37.5 percent from behind the 3-point line, going 140-for-373, and have six different players who have rained in at least 10 treys. Johnson leads the CC long-range bombers with 44 3-pointers, followed by Nelson with 25. Jackson Jangula (17), Peyton Belka (16), Zach Jackson (13) and Cook (11) have also reached double figures in 3-pointers. … As a team, Concordia knocked has knocked down a season-high 12 3-pointers in a game twice, while Johnson has netted a season-high five 3-pointers in a game twice.

• LENDING A HAND: Johnson has dished out a team-best 52 assists, with Loge sitting second with 40 helpers. Cook (36), Nelson (28), Jangula (24), and Belka (20) have also posted at least 20 assists through 18 games. … Johnson dished out a single-game season-high eight assists against Macalester on Jan. 24.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS:As a team, Concordia is shooting 47.3 percent from the field, going 465-for-983. CC has drained 140 3-pointers and is 221-for-311 (71.1 %) from the free throw line. …. The Cobbers are averaging 71.7 ppg, while limiting their opponents to just 68.0 ppg. … Concordia has scored 80 or more points five times this season, including a season-high 93-point effort in beating Carleton 93-83 on Jan. 6. On the flip side, CC has allowed a team to score 80+ points four times, with Crown’s 94-point showing in a 94-84 win on Dec. 30 serving as the highest opponent total this season.