Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

MACOMB, Ill. — Exhibition game or not, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota's Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) certainly made a lasting first impression Saturday evening.
 
The Cardinal freshman knocked down four of his first six field goal attempts—all 3-pointers—and scored a team-high 17 points in the Saint Mary's men's basketball team's exhibition game against NCAA Division I Western Illinois.
 
Anthony-Bello's effort, however, was not enough, as the Leathernecks pulled away for a 109-68 exhibition win
 
The Cardinals scored the game's first basket on a jumper by Jakob Bailey (Cameron, Wis.), but the Leathernecks answered, scoring 19 of the next 25 points to take a 19-8 lead, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Bello cut the gap to five, 19-14. Western Illinois used a 13-3 burst to push its lead to 15, 32-17, with just over seven minutes remaining, only to have the Cardinals answer with a 26-15 half-ending run to cut the Leathernecks' lead to four, 47-43, at the break.
 
The Cardinals were virtually unstoppable from 3-point range in the game's opening 20 minutes, knocking down 11 of 21 attempts from behind the arc. All told, Saint Mary's shot 55 percent from the field in the first half (15 of 27)—with 11 of those 15 made field goals counting for three points each.
 
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Western Illinois came out flying to open the second half—scoring the first 15 points—as the Leathernecks' lead ballooned from four points to 19, 62-53. The Cardinals struggled through two more lengthy second-half dry spells, as the Leathernecks used a second 15-0 run, as well as an 18-6 spurt, to put the game out of reach.
 
Anthony-Bello finished 5-for-7 from the 3-point line and added a pair of free throws en route to his team-high 17 points. Jason Timm (Brillion, Wis.) chipped in 12 points—all on 3-pointers—and Drew Olive (Hayfield, Minn.) finished with nine points.
 
As a team, the Cardinals shot 49 percent from the field (24-for-49)—including a 16-for-32 effort from the 3-point line—while going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
 
Brandon Gilbeck scored a game-high 31 points to lead three Leatherneck players in double figures, with Dalan Ancrum adding 21 points and Kobe Webster chipping in 19.
 
The Cardinals officially kick off their 2017-18 season on Wednesday, as Saint Mary's entertains Martin Luther in a 5:30 p.m. nonconference contest at the Saint Mary's Gym.