SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

2023-24: 6-11 MIAC, 7-15 Overall

AUGSBURG AUGGIES

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

2023-24: 6-10 MIAC, 8-13 Overall

LIVE ON THE WEB:

Follow Along: Live Stats * Streaming Video

MIAC: MBB Home *  Standings * Schedule

Social: Facebook * X * Threads * Instagram * YouTube

SMU-AUGSBURG * LAST MEETING:

Jan. 3, 2024 * Winona, MN

L, 62-55 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Feb. 5, 2024 * Winona, MN

St. Scholastica * W, 71-65

AUGSBURG * LAST ACTION:

Feb. 5, 2024 * Northfield, MN

Carleton * W, 82-81

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Feb. 14, 2024 * Winona, MN

Gustavus * 7 p.m.

AUGSBURG * UP NEXT: 

Feb. 10, 2024 * Minneapolis, MN

Augsburg * 3 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals enter their road conference matchup at Augsburg sitting at 7-15 overall, while owning a 6-11 mark in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Cameron Mallory (Joliet, Ill.) poured in a game-high 25 points, Owen Ziegler (Mount Horeb, Wis.) added 15, and Breyton Buysman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) and Bruce Lockwood (Shakopee, Minn.) each chipped in 10 rebounds, as the Cardinals posted a 71-65 conference win over St. Scholastica Monday at the SMU Gym.

• HITTING THE ROAD: The Cardinals close out their regular-season schedule playing two of their final three contests on the road, sandwiching games at Augsburg (Wednesday) and at Carleton (Feb. 17) around a Feb. 14 home game against Gustavus. … Saint Mary’s is currently 5-7 on its home court, while sporting a 2-8 record away from the Saint Mary’s Gym..

• ON A ROLL: With the 71-65 win over St. Scholastica on Monday, the Cardinals have won back-to-back games for the first time this season, having dispatched of Macalester 72-69 last Saturday. … SMU’s sweep-clinching win over St. Scholastica in their second meeting on Monday was its sixth straight win against the Saints and moved the Cardinals to 8-1 against CSS all-time.

• 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.

• SATURDAY SUCCESS: With their 72-69 win over Macalester, 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 Macalester (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 Augsburg boasting three players who are averaging in double figures in scoring. Mallory leads the way for SMU, owning a 15.5 ppg average, while Buysman and Jabari Sawyer (Chicago, Ill.) are close behind at 14.5 ppg and 10.3 ppg, respectively. Ziegler is fourth on the team, owning an 8.8 ppg scoring average. … Mallory or Buysman has led or shared the team lead in scoring in 17 of SMU’s 22 games, while Sawyer has led the team three times — including two of the Cardinals’ last four games.

• HITTING DOUBLE FIGURES: Mallory has scored in double figures in 16 of SMU’s 22 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 16 times this season — including each of SMU’s last four 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 and Mallory poured in 25 vs. St. Scholastica on Monday. … Mallory has reached the 20-point mark nine 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 four players with 80 or more rebounds through 22 games, led by Lockwood with a single-season career-high 124 (5.9 rpg). Buysman owns 114 boards (5.2 rpg), followed by Mallory (92, 4.2 rpg), and Sawyer (86, 3.9 rpg). … Lockwood and Buysman each pulled down 10 rebounds against St. Scholastica on Monday. It marked the second straight game in which SMU has had two players with 10 rebounds in the same game — Lockwood and Khai Branham (Bemidji, Minn.) each had 10 boards against Macalester last Saturday. … 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 delivered a career-best 10 boards vs. St. Scholastica on Monday. … As a team, Saint Mary’s matched its season high with 42 rebounds against St. Scholastica on Monday.

• 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. 

• DEAD-EYE FROM THE LINE: With his 9-for-10 showing from the free throw line against St. Scholastica on Monday, Mallory has now drained a season-high nine free throws twice this season — having also gone 9-for-11 from the line against Carleton on Jan. 13.

• GOING DEEP: Saint Mary’s has made 159 of 447 3-point attempts this season (35.6 %) — including a season-high 12 treys against UW-River Falls on Nov. 18. … Ziegler leads the team with 54 3s, followed by Buysman with 26, Branham with 24, and Mallory with 21. … Ziegler has drained a season-high five 3-pointers in a game four times — vs. St. Olaf on Dec. 2, vs. St. Scholastica four days later, vs. Carleton on Jan. 13, and against St. Scholastica on Monday. … 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 183 3-pointers during his four-year career.

• LENDING A HAND: Sawyer and Ziegler lead the way for SMU with 68 and 65 assists, respectively. Buysman (34), Mallory (30), and Moore (25) 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 (585-for-1310), with 159 3-pointers, and are 194 of 274 (70.8 %) from the free throw line. … SMU is averaging 69.7 ppg, with its opponents scoring at a 77.3 ppg clip. … Saint Mary’s has scored 70 or more points 11 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.

AUGSBURG SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Auggies head into their second meeting against Saint Mary’s sitting at 8-13 overall, including a 6-10 mark in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Will Blascziek knocked down the game-winning basket with less than 10 seconds remaining in regulation, as the Auggies knocked off Carleton 82-81 at West Gym in Northfield, Minn., on Monday.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Wednesday’s game against Saint Mary’s is the first of two straight home games for the Auggies, who boast a 4-6 mark on their home court. Augsburg will host Concordia on Saturday, before closing out the regular season with back-to-back road games at Gustavus on Monday and at Macalester on Feb. 17. The Auggies are currently 4-7 away from Si Melby Hall this season.

• STREAK SNAPPER: The Auggies’ one-point win over Carleton on Monday snapped their two-game losing streak. Augsburg had dropped back-to-back games to Saint John’s (81-67) and Hamline (73-53) prior to Monday’s 82-81 victory. … Augsburg has been through two, two-game losing streaks, as well as a season-high six-game slide. On the flip side, the Auggies have won back-to-back games just once this season — beating both UW-Stout (113-111, 2 ot) on Nov. 25 and St. Scholastica (77-73) four days later. 

• CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD: Augsburg heads into its second meeting with Saint Mary’s boasting a pair of players who are averaging in double figures in scoring. Colin Meade leads the team with an 11.9 ppg scoring average, just percentage points in front of Blascziek, who comes in with an 11.2 ppg average. Trent Gomez is third on the team, averaging 9.6 ppg, followed by Jalen Dearing at 8.4 ppg. … Meade has scored 10 or more points 13 times this season, including a season-best 21-point showing against Bethel on Nov. 21. … Blascziek owns 12 games of 10+ points, and has recorded Augsburg’s top two single-game offensive performances — netting 24 against St. Scholastica on Nov. 29 and hitting a season-high 31 vs. UW-Stout four days earlier. 

• CLEANING THE GLASS: Augsburg has two players who have reached the century mark in rebounds, led by Austin Jentzen, who has pulled down 120 boards (5.7 rpg). Isaac Rabaey has also reached the 100-rebound mark, coming in at 103 (4.9 rpg). Meade (89, 4.5 rpg) and Blascziek (87, 4.1 rpg) have both collected more than 80 rebounds. … Rabaey and Meade have each recorded 10-rebound games this season, while Jentzen posted a season-best 11-rebound effort against Saint Mary’s in the teams’ first meeting on Jan. 3. … Augsburg hauled in a single-game season-high 52 rebounds against UW-Stout on Nov. 25.

• FROM BEYOND THE ARC: Augsburg has knocked down 136 3-pointers through 21 games, and is shooting 32.6 percent from beyond the arc (136-for-417. … Blascziek and Gomez share the team lead with 31 3-pointers each, with Meade (15), Caden Scales (14), Ali Axmed (13), Elias Batala (10), and Caden Sullivan (10) having also reached double figures in 3-pointers. … Blascziek owns a pair of season-high five 3-point games — against UW-Stout on Nov. 25 and vs. St. Scholastica on Jan. 17.

• LENDING A HAND: Scales and Gomez lead the team in assists with 38 and 34 helpers, respectively. Jentzen (30), Rabaey (29), and Meade (27) have also served up more than 20 assists this season. … Rabaey dished out a season-high eight assists against St. Olaf on Jan. 27.

• WORKING OVERTIME: … Augsburg has played three overtime games this season — winning all three. The Auggies beat Macalester 75-74 on Jan. 13 and St. Olaf 85-76 on Jan. 27, while needing two overtimes to get past UW-Stout 113-111 on Nov. 25.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS:The Auggies are shooting 43.8 percent from the field (545-for-1244), with 136 3-pointers, while going 282-for-423 (66.7 %) from the free throw line. … Augsburg is averaging 71.8 ppg and the Auggies opponents are scoring at an 80.4 ppg clip. … Augsburg has scored 80 or more points five times this season — including a pair of games in which the Auggies eclipsed the 100-point mark. Augsburg bounced St. Scholastica 101-63 on Jan. 17, and netted a season-high 113 in a 113-111 double-overtime win over UW-Stout on Nov. 25. On the flip side, the Auggies have given up 90 points in a game four times, including 111 in that aforementioned double-OT win over UW-Stout, and 112 in falling to Saint John’s 112-54 on Dec. 4.