SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023-24: 5-11 MIAC, 6-15 Overall

ST. SCHOLASTICA SAINTDS

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2023-24: 1-13 MIAC, 2-18 Overall

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SMU-CSS * LAST MEETING:

Dec. 6, 2023 * Duluth, MN

W, 92-80 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Feb.3, 2024 * St. Paul, MN

Macalester * W, 72-69

ST. SCHOLASTICA * LAST ACTION:

Feb. 3, 2024 * Collegeville, MN

Saint John’s * L, 101-62

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Feb. 7, 2024 * Minneapolis, MN

Augsburg * 7 p.m.

ST. SCHOLASTICA * UP NEXT: 

Feb. 7, 2024 * Arden Hills, MN

Bethel * 7 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals enter their home conference matchup against St. Scholastica sitting at 6-15 overall, while owning a 5-11 mark in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) knocked down a field goal and Jemari Moore (Broadview, Ill.) nailed a free throw in the waning seconds to secure the Cardinals’ 72-69 conference win over Macalester last Saturday in St. Paul, Minn.

• HITTING THE ROAD: Last Saturday’s game against Macalester was the second of back-to-back road games for the Cardinals, who play three of their final five games away from the Saint Mary’s Gym – the lone home contests: Monday’s showdown with St. Scholastica and a Feb. 14 date with Gustavus. … Saint Mary’s is currently 4-7 on its home court, while sporting a 2-8 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 in their first meeting 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 ended their season-high four-game losing streak. … SMU’s sweep-clinching win over St. Scholastica in their second meeting last Saturday was its sixth straight win against the Saints and moved the Cardinals to 8-1 against CSS all-time.

• SATURDAY SUCCESS: With their 72-69 win over St. Scholastica, the Cardinals have gone 4-1 in their last five Saturday games, including back-to-back-to-back victories against St. Olaf (74-72),  Bethel (85-76), and St. Scholastica (72-69)  in their last three Saturday contests. 

• BIG HALF: Saint Mary’s poured in a season-high 52 points in its come-from-behind, 85-76 win over Bethel on Jan. 27. SMU has scored 40 or more points in a half six times — achieving the feat twice in the first half and four times in the second.

• CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD: The Cardinals head into their matchup against St. Scholastica boasting three players who are averaging in double figures in scoring. Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill.) leads the way for SMU, owning a 15.1 ppg average, while Buysman and Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill.) are close behind at 14.9 ppg and 10.4 ppg, respectively. Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) is fourth on the team, owning an 8.5 ppg scoring average. … Mallory or Buysman has led or shared the team lead in scoring in 16 of SMU’s 21 games, while Sawyer having led the team three times — including two of the Cardinals’ last three games.

• HITTING DOUBLE FIGURES: Mallory has scored in double figures in 15 of SMU’s 21 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 16 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 15 times this season — including each of SMU’s last three games. Sawyer netted 23-against Bethel on Jan. 27 and added a 20-point effort against Concordia four days later, while Buysman delivered 21 points against Macalester last Saturday. … Mallory has reached the 20-point mark eight times this season, while Buysman has netted 20+ points five times and Sawyer has two.

• 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 five 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 on Jan. 27 was a new career best. Khai Branham (Bemidji, Minn.) / 14), 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 60 or more rebounds through 21 games, led by Lockwood with a single-season career-high 114 (5.7 rpg). Buysman owns 104 boards (5.0 rpg), followed by Mallory (86, 4.1 rpg), Sawyer (79, 3.8 rpg), and Moore (62, 3.0 rpg). … Lockwood pulled down a season- and career-high 12 rebounds against Saint John’s on Jan. 17. …  Branham collected a career-high 10 rebounds in last Saturday’s win over Macalester, and Buysman matched his career-high nine rebounds against St. Olaf on Jan. 20. … 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. … Branham posted career-highs in points (14) and rebounds (10) against Macalester last Saturday en route to his first collegiate double-double … Lockwood and Branham own SMU’s only two double-doubles this 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 149 of 422 3-point attempts this season (35.3 %) — including a season-high 12 treys against UW-River Falls on Nov. 18. … Ziegler leads the team with 49 3s, followed by Buysman with 26, Branham with 23, and Mallory with 19. … 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 178 3-pointers during his four-year career.

• LENDING A HAND: Ziegler and Sawyer lead the way for SMU with 65 and 62 assists, respectively. Buysman (32), Mallory (30), and Moore (20) have also dished out 20+ 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 44.8 percent from the field (560-for-1250), with 149 3-pointers, and are 183 of 262 (69.8 %) from the free throw line. … SMU is averaging 69.1 ppg, with its opponents scoring at a 77.9 ppg clip. … Saint Mary’s has scored 70 or more points 10 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.

ST. SCHOLASTICA SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Saints head into their second meeting with Saint Mary’s sitting at 2-18 overall, including owning just one win in 15 conference games (1-14).

• LAST TIME OUT: League-leading Saint John’s shot a blistering 55.6 percent from the field and outscored the Saints 56-29 in the first half in cruising to a 101-69 victory over CSS last Saturday in Collegeville, Minn.

• ROAD WARRIORS: Monday’s game against Saint Mary’s is the second of three straight road games for the Saints, who will head to Arden Hills, Minn., for a matchup against Bethel on Wednesday, before returning home to Reif Gym to host St. Olaf on Saturday. … Both of CSS’s wins this season have come on their home court. The Saints are 2-8 at home, while going 0-11 on the road.

• LIMPING IN: With their loss to league-leading Saint John’s on Saturday, the Saints saw their season-high losing streak climb to nine straight. CSS has not won since knocking off Bethel 70-64 on Jan. 3. … The Saints’ current slide started with an 85-55 loss to Saint John’s and reached eight with last Saturday’s 101-60 loss to the Johnnies. … All 18 of CSS’s losses this season have come via two nine-game losing streaks.

• CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD: The Saints enter their matchup with Saint Mary’s boasting two players who are averaging in double figures. Noah Winesett leads the way with a 12.5 ppg average, while Andrew Crockett Jr. owns a 10.5 ppg average. Tanner Thomson is third on the team, sitting at 8.8 ppg, just percentage points in front of Jacquez Overstreet (8.6 ppg). … Winsett has scored 10 or more points in 16 of the Saints’ 21 games, including three games of 20 or more. … Winsett poured in a single-game season-high 27 points against Gustavus on Dec. 4.

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Kevin Thomas boasts a team-leading 113 rebounds (5.9 rpg), and is one of three players with at least 60 boards — being joined by Aaron Keykal (81, 4.3 rpg), Jeff Moore (71, 3.6 rpg). … Thomas pulled down a team-best 11 rebounds against Carleton on Dec. 9. … Thomas’s 11-rebound effort against Carleton marks the only time this season CSS has had a player reach double figures in rebounds.

• FROM BEYOND THE ARC: St. Scholastica is shooting 32.3 percent from behind the 3-point line (142-for-439) and has six players with at least 15 treys. … Winesett has poured in a team-high 33 3-pointers, followed by Koy Nelson with 23, Thomson with 21, and Thomas, Jeff Moore, and Crockett Jr. all with 15. … Nelson knocked down a season-high five 3-pointers in the Saints’ first meeting with Saint Mary’s on Dec. 6.

• LENDING A HAND: Crockett Jr. has dished out a team-leading 37 assists, followed by Nelson and Thomas with 25 each. Thomson (22), Winesett (21), Moore (20), and Keykal (20) have also reached the 20-assist mark this season. … As a team, CSS posted a season-best 20 assists against Macalester on Dec. 2, with Crockett Jr. accounting for a single-game season-high six of those helpers.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS:As a team, St. Scholastica is shooting 43.1 percent from the field (499-for-1158), with 142 3-pointers, and has gone 178-for-290 (61.4 %) from the free throw line. … The Saints are averaging 65.9 ppg, while their opponents are scoring at an 80.0 ppg clip. … CSS has scored 76 of more points five times and has reached the 80-point mark on three occasions — including a season-best 86 points in a 99-86 loss to Macalester on Dec. 2. On the flip side, St. Scholastica’s opponents have eclipsed the 90-point plateau five times, and owns a pair of 101-point games. Augsburg topped the Saints 101-63 on Jan. 17, while Saint John’s delivered a 101-69 beat-down last Saturday.