SAINT BONIFACIUS, Minn. – The Saint Mary's men's basketball started their 2024-25 campaign on a high note after traveling to take down Crown College on Friday night. The Cardinals beat the Polars in a high scoring match up, 87-80 to improve to 1-0 on the early season.
 
The Cardinals held a slim lead with full court pressure by senior Jemari Moore who landed the first basket of the season and senior Jabari Sawyer's pressure leading to a steal and a fast break layup. Crown went on a seven point rally using their size to their advantage to take a 13-7 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the first half.
 
The Polars started to find their rhythm taking their largest lead of the game, 21-12. Saint Mary's showed their half court offense with an easy post feed for Khai Branham and then Jackson Harvey, who nets his first points as a Cardinal, to close the gap to six points.
 
The six point lead was short lived as back-to-back threes land as Branham hits his second three off a down screen and Jonah Ogunsanya hit one in the same spot with eight minutes remaining in the half.
 
Ogunsanya hits his third three of the half, to draw the game within three. The Cardinals were heating up with yet another shot from downtown by Moore with three minutes remaining forcing the first timeout of the half by the Polars, as the Cardinals tie the game at 32-32.
 
17 of the 32 points came from Branham and Ogunsanya.
 
After trailing one at the half, Senior Breyton Buysman caught fire for the Cardinals. Buysman went on a personal eight point run for the team to open the second half and retake the lead 44-41.
 
Owen Ziegler gets himself on the board to extend the Cardinals lead with a three of his own. The Polars hit a few threes to take back their one point lead, that was until Ziegler hit another three to regain the lead and the Cardinals did not trail the rest of the game.
 
Harvey netted the next two baskets for his team with two turnaround jumpers before both offenses slowed. Neither team scored for the next three minutes. Bailey McDonald breaks the seal for a layup and Buysman adds another six points to add to his stellar second half.
 
The Polars got the game within five after a few Cardinal turnovers but ultimately it was too late as they had to foul Buysman and put him at the free throw line to shoot in hopes of a miss.
 
Buysman had a 20 point second half performance to lift the Cardinals past the Polars. Sawyer with seven assists.
 
The Cardinals return to the hardwood with two home contests on Tuesday and Thursday next week. The team will take on Martin Luther for a 7 p.m. game on Tuesday, November 12^th.