MENOMONIE, Wis. - The Saint Mary's men's basketball team (2-4) returned to action on Monday night, traveling to Wisconsin to take on UW-Stout (1-6) in a non-conference matchup. The Cardinals were defeated by the Blue Devils, 83-65, giving UW-Stout their first win of the season.
 
Sawyer Markham sparked an early lead for the team, stealing the ball on the opening possession and passing it to Jemari Moore for the game's first basket. On the next play, Jackson Harvey nailed a jumper to give the team a quick 4-0 advantage.
 
The Blue Devils countered with the next seven points. Both teams' offenses slowed down, with each scoring just two points over the next four minutes of play.
 
Coming off the bench, Jonah Ogunsanya scored his first points of the game with a three-pointer, pulling the team within four at 17-13. He followed up with the next layup, and Harvey contributed his sixth point of the night with a layup of his own.
 
In the last ten minutes of the first half, the Cardinals struggled committing four turnovers allowing the Blue Devils to extend their lead to a night high of 15 points. 
 
Before the halftime buzzer, Owen Ziegler scored his first points of the night with a three-pointer, while Jabari Sawyer added two free throws and a steal, setting up a layup for Ogunsanya. The Cardinals were down 40-30 at the half.
 
The Cardinals struggled to find their rhythm in the second half, with their first points coming after three minutes of play, as Harvey sank two free throws to end the dry spell, 45-32. He had the next three points for the Cardinals for the personal five-point run.
 
Ziegler countered with five points of his own and Sawyer with three to some buzz going offensively as the Cardinals 60-47 at the 11:30 mark. The team caught fire, hitting three consecutive three-pointers from Ogunsanya, Ziegler, and Harvey, pulling within nine points with nine minutes left, 65-56. This would be the closest the Cardinals had been to the Blue Devils since the end of the first half.
 
The Blue Devils answered with two three-pointers of their own, extending their lead and becoming too much for the Cardinals to overcome. Ziegler hit his last three of the night with 4:39 left, his four of the night, and it would be the last basket the Cardinals scored at Stout. 
The Cardinals handed the Blue Devils their first win of the season, while extending their own losing streak to four games.
 
Harvey led the team with a career high 18 points with six rebounds. Ziegler added 14 points, going four of nine from the three-point line. Markham with a season high four assists.
 
The Cardinals will be back in action at home on Wednesday, facing Northland College in a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.