WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's men's basketball team (0-5) battled wire-to-wire with Crown College (3-3) to kick off the Saturday afternoon, but the Polars' late push proved decisive as the Cardinals fell 76–66. 

Although Saint Mary's carried a 40–37 lead into halftime and dominated the glass with 45 total rebounds, including 17 on the offensive end, Crown capitalized at the free-throw line and turned Cardinal miscues into key points down the stretch.

The opening half saw both teams trading punches, with early threes from Reid Klug and Josh Wohlers helping Saint Mary's find its rhythm trailing 9-8 at 16:44. A mid-half surge, capped by a John Palmer triple at the 8:38 mark, pushed the Cardinals ahead 18-15, and despite Crown's attempts to chip away, Saint Mary's held a three-point edge at the break.

The Cardinals briefly stretched their lead early in the second half on a Klug-assisted layup by Reid Weckwerth, but Crown answered quickly. 

A three-pointer from the Polars knotted the score and created a Polar run that shifted the momentum. Weckwerth's transition bucket and jumper at 8:36 provided a spark getting the Cardinals within 12, 61-49, but Crown continued to convert timely shots and steady free throws.

A late three from Palmer and a pair of free throws from Klug helped Saint Mary's stay within reach, but the Polars closed the door at the line in the final minute to seal the win.

Klug paced the Cardinals with a standout double-double for a 20 point,16-rebound performance, including three made threes and almost a Sportcenter Top 10 dunk for a career best game. Palmer chipped in 14 points, his career best, on efficient perimeter shooting, while Weckwerth added 10 points and Sawyer Markham contributed seven points, five rebounds, and three assists.

The Cardinals are in search of their first win of the season and will take the weekend to regroup before traveling to Lake Forest College for a nonconference game before Thanksgiving on Tuesday, November 25 at 6:00 p.m.