SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023-24: 1-7 MIAC, 2-10 Overall

MACALESTER SCOTS

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2023-24: 2-4 MIAC, 6-5 Overall

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SMU-MACALESTER * A YEAR AGO:

L, 77-76 * L, 75-72 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 3, 2024 * Winona, MN

Augsburg * L, 62-55

MACALESTER * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 2, 2024 * St. Paul, MN

at Northwestern * W, 90-72

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Jan. 10, 2024 * St. Peter, MN

Gustavus * 7 p.m.

MACALESTER * UP NEXT:

Jan. 10, 2024 * St. Paul, MN

Carleton * 7 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals enter their conference matchup against Macalester sitting at 2-10 overall, while owning a 1-7 mark in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill.) scored a game-high 20 points and Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) added 17, but the Cardinals could not complete a second-half comeback in falling to Augsburg 62-55 on their home court Wednesday.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Saturday’s matchup against Macalester is the third straight home game for the Cardinals, who are in the midst of playing six of seven games on their home floor — the lone exception, next Wednesday’s contest at Gustavus. … Saint Mary’s is currently 1-5 on its home court, while sporting an identical 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: Buysman leads the way for the Cardinal offense, averaging 16.0 ppg through 12 games, while Mallory is also averaging in double figures at 15.3 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 8.0 ppg. … Mallory or Buysman have led or shared the team lead in scoring in nine of SMU’s 12 games.

• HITTING DOUBLE FIGURES: Mallory has scored in double figures in nine of SMU’s 12 contests. He has set a 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 nine of SMU’s 12 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 nine times this season. Mallory has accomplished the feat five 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 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 put five players in double figures in the same game since Jan. 15, 2022.

• ON THE GLASS: Saint Mary’s boasts four players with 30 or more rebounds through 12 games, led by Lockwood with 58 (5.3 rpg). Buysman and Mallory both own 52 boards (4.3 rpg), and Sawyer is sitting with 49 rebounds (4.1 rpg). … Lockwood (twice), 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 on 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 80 of 251 3-point attempts this season (31.9 %) — including a season-high 12 treys against UW-River Falls on Nov. 18. … Ziegler leads the team with 27 treys, followed by Buysman with 14, and Mallory and Khai Branham (Bemidji, Minn.) with 11 each. … 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.

• LENDING A HAND: Ziegler and Sawyer lead the way for SMU with 39 and 38 assists, respectively, with Buysman (19) and Mallory (16) also reaching double figures in helpers. … Sawyer collected a season-high seven assists against St. Olaf on Dec. 2.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: The Cardinals are shooting 44.8 percent from the field (322-for-719), with 80 3-pointers, and are 91 of 133 (68.4 %) from the free throw line. … SMU is averaging 67.9 ppg, with its opponents scoring at a 78.7 ppg clip. … Saint Mary’s has scored 70 or more points five times — including 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 ties, including allowing 90+ points three times. … 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.

MACALESTER SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: Macalester heads to Saint Mary’s on Saturday sporting a 6-5 overall record, including a 2-4 mark through the first six games of its MIAC slate.

• LAST TIME OUT: Macalester knocked down a season-high 19 3-pointers en route to a 90-72 nonconference win over Northwestern (Minn.) last Tuesday in Roseville, Minn.

• ROAD WARRIORS: The Scots’ MIAC matchup against Saint Mary’s is the fifth road game in a six-game stretch — the lone home contest a 96-86 loss to Gustavus on Dec. 6. Macalester has posted five of its six wins on the road this season, sitting at 5-2, while going just 1-3 on its home court at Leonard Center.

• STREAK SNAPPER: The Scots’ 90-72 win over Northwestern (Minn.) last Tuesday snapped Macalester’s season-high three-game losing streak. … After opening the season with back-to-back losses to the University of Minnesota and UW-Superior, Macalester rattled off wins in five of its next six, before falling to Bethel, Gustavus, and Saint John’s prior to Tuesday’s win over Northwestern (Minn.). 

• CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD: Macalester heads into Wednesday’s game boasting four players who are averaging in double figures in scoring, led by Caleb Williams, who owns a 20.8 ppg scoring average. Coby Gold (13.5 ppg), Kaden Holdbrook (11.7 ppg), and Noah Shannon (11.7 ppg) are also averaging 10+ ppg. … Williams has scored 10 or more points in all 11 games, including six 20+ point performances. Williams netted 31 points against Northwestern (Minn.) on Tuesday, and posted a season-high 34 points against UW-Stout on Nov. 15.

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Shannon, Gold, and Williams have all already reached the 50-rebound mark this season, with Shannon leading the way with 65 boards (6.5 rpg). Gold has pulled down 54 rebounds (4.9 rpg), followed by Williams (52, 4.7 rpg) and Eric Wentz (42, 3.8 rpg). … Macalester has had a player pull down 10 or more rebounds in a game twice this season — Armando Akapo-Nwagbo collected 13 rebounds against Northwestern (Minn.) on Tuesday, while Shannon corralled a season-high 15 boards against St. Olaf on Nov. 19.

• FROM BEYOND THE ARC: Macalester has poured in a whopping 135 3-pointers through 11 games, and are shooting 40.9 percent (135-for-330) from downtown. … Wentz leads the Scot long-range bombers with 26 3-pointers, with Holdbrook (24), Ryan Brush (24), and Gold (20) also draining 20 or more treys. … Macalester has gotten at least one 3-pointer from eight different players.

• BOMBS AWAY: The Scots’ 19 3-pointers against Northwestern on Tuesday were just two treys shy of the school record of 21, set in a 92-70 victory over Concordia on Jan. 3, 2007. Current head coach Abe Woldeslassie made five of those record-setting 19 3-pointers, while registering 26 points and 10 assists in that game.

• LENDING A HAND: As a team, Macalester has dished out 178 assists in 11 games, led by Gold with 43. Williams (32), Holdbrook (28), and Shannon (20) have also reached the 20-assist mark this season.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS:As a team, Macalester is shooting 47.3 percent from the field (319-for-675), while going 135-for-330 (40.9 %) from behind the 3-point line, and 139-for-189 (73.5 %) from the free throw line. … The Scots are averaging 82.9 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at an 83.4 ppg clip. … Macalester has scored 86 or more points in six of its 11 games, and has delivered 90+ points four times. The Scots netted a season-high 102 points in outscoring UW-Stout 102-93 on Nov. 15. On the flip side, Macalester has allowed 86 or more points five times, and surrendered a season-high 101 in falling to Saint John’s 101-79 on Dec. 9.