WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team is back on its home court on Saturday, as the Cardinals host Hamline in a 3 p.m. contest at the SMU Gym.





The Teams:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-11 MIAC / 9-11 Overall)
Hamline Pipers (9-5 MIAC / 11-8 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Action:
The gave seventh-ranked St Thomas all they could handle on Wednesday, but fell just short, as they dropped the MIAC contest 75-66 at the SMU Gym. … Hamline, meanwhile, used a first-half 15-0 run to jump out front, and the Pipers never looked back in beating Gustavus 86-74 Wednesday in St. Paul, Minn.

Earlier This Year:
January 15, 2011: Hamline erupted for 50 second-half points — while holding SMU to 24 — as the Pipers rallied for an 85-68 conference victory at Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn.

A Year Ago:
January 6, 2010: The Cardinals boasted three players scoring in double figures, but the trio's combined 40 points weren't enough to overcome an ice-cold first-half shooting performance, as the Pipers handed SMU a 93-57 MIAC setback at Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn.

February 10, 2010: Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) scored a team-high 22 points to lead four SMU players in double figures, as the Cardinals turned the tables on Hamline in the teams' rematch, routing the Pipers 98-77 in a conference game at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to Northfield, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. conference game against St. Olaf. … Hamline is also on the road on Wednesday, heading to Arden Hills, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. MIAC game against Bethel.

Clash of MIAC Statistical Leaders:
Today's game between Saint Mary's and Hamline pits the top offensive players in the conference. SMU's Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.) leads the league in scoring (18.5 ppg), while Hamline's Carl Hipp is second (18.3 ppg) and the Cardinals' Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) is third (16.9 ppg). … Hipp leads the league in rebounding (11.6 rpg), with Palmer second at 9.6 rpg. … Palmer is also the league-leader in free throw percentage (.904, 132-for-146) and defensive rebounds (143, 7.53 drpg), while Hipp leads the conference in offensive rebounds (78, 4.33) and blocked shots (36, 2.00 bpg). … Wright and teammate Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) enter today's game No. 1 and No. 2 in the MIAC in minutes played. Wright is averaging 35.85 mpg and Holland is at 34.85 mpg. … As a team, SMU is tops in the league in free throw percentage (.803, 331-for-412), while Hamline owns the league's top spot in scoring (80.1 ppg), defensive rebounds (508, 26.74 drpg) and blocked shots (71, 3.74 bpg)

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
The Cardinals boasted three players in double figures in Wednesday's 75-66 loss to seventh-ranked St. Thomas. Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) scored a game-high 23 points, while Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.) and Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) chipped in 16 and 13 points, respectively. … Palmer missed out on his 11th double-double of the season by one rebound Wednesday, as the sophomore pulled down nine boards vs. the Tommies. … The 23-point effort vs. UST Wednesday was the 33rd time in Wright's career that he has scored 20 or more points. … Wright has now scored in double figures in 84 of his 95 collegiate games. … Wright enters today's game vs. Hamline sitting fifth all-time with 1,711 career points. He is 51 points behind No. 4 Pat Costello. … With his team-leading nine rebounds vs. UST, Palmer has now led the Cardinals in rebounding in 18 of the team's 20 games. He has recorded 10 or more rebounds 11 times this season. … With his 2-for-2 showing from the free throw line Wednesday, Palmer has now made 23 straight free throws and has gone 26-for -28 from the line in his last three games — including a 21-for-23 performance against Macalester on Jan. 29. … Palmer's 21 made free throws tied the MIAC single-game record, originally set in 1957. … Palmer's 31 points against the Scots on Jan. 29 marked the second time this season the sophomore has netted 30 or more points. Palmer scored a career-best 37 points against Bethel on Dec. 6. … With his four points against St. Thomas, Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) pushed his career point total to 1,298, putting him 10th all-time. … The Cardinals enter today's game vs. Hamline with three players averaging in double figures — Palmer (18.6 ppg), Wright (16.9 ppg) and Holland (10.9 ppg). … Wright drained three 3-pointers vs. the Tommies Wednesday to push his team-leading total to 26. Holland (21), Palmer (19) and Pat Freeman (Champlin, Minn. / 17) have also netted 10 or more treys this season. … The Cardinals boasted two players with 20 or more points in their first meeting against Macalester on Dec. 4, as Wright scored a game-high 29 points and Holland chipped in 23. Both were season highs. … SMU's 35 FTM and 43 FTM against Macalester were both season highs, and the most since the Cardinals went 37-for-47 against Hamline on Feb. 11, 2009. … With their win over Macalester on Jan. 29, the Cardinals are a perfect 6-0 against the Scots under Coach Landrum. … SMU's 66-59 double-overtime win over Millikin on Dec. 29 was its first 2 OT game since the Cardinals lost to Concordia 63-59 on Jan. 3, 1998 | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Hamline Pipers News and Notes:
Wednesday's win over Gustavus was Hamline's second straight and third in its last four games. … With their 86-74 win over Gustavus on Wednesday, the Pipers completed a season sweep of the Gusties, having already beaten GAC 94-89 in overtime on Jan. 3. … With their 86-point effort vs. Gustavus Wednesday, the Pipers have now scored 80 or more points in 10 of their 19 games this season — including a season-high 102 points in a 102-98 overtime win over Augsburg on Dec. 8. … Hamline enters today's game at Saint Mary's averaging 80.1 ppg. … Carl Hipp scored a game-high 23 points against Gustavus Wednesday. The senior also pulled down 15 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season. … Noah Aguirre, Tyler Pannell and Brandon Rieg also scored in double figures against the Gusties, netting 13, 12 and 10 points, respectively. … Hipp's 23-point effort vs. Gustavus was the eighth time this season the senior has netted 20 or more points. … The Pipers have played three overtime games this season — beating Augsburg (102-98) and Gustavus (94-89), and losing to UW-Whitewater (91-80). … Today's game at Saint Mary's is the fourth road game in the last five contests for the Pipers, who are just 6-6 away from Hutton Arena this season | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics