By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director

ST. PETER, Minn. — Kareem Anthony-Bello (Chicago, Ill.) enjoyed a career night in his first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference appearance Wednesday evening, pouring in a team-leading 16 points.
 
Unfortunately, the Cardinal freshman's effort—not to mention a season-high 10 3-pointers—was not enough, as Gustavus handed Saint Mary's an 85-65 setback in the teams' conference-opener at Gus Young Court.
 
Saint Mary's was unstoppable from behind the arc early on, knocking down three 3-pointers in the game's first two minutes to take a 9-4 lead. The Gusties, however, answered by scoring 30 of the next 36 points—Saint Mary's six points coming on two more 3-pointers—as GAC grabbed a commanding 34-15 advantage and cruised to a 53-28 lead heading into the halftime intermission.
 
The Cardinals hit on 12 of their 24 second-half field goal attempts—including a 4-for-10 effort from the 3-point line, in outscoring the host Gusties 37-32 over the game's final 20 minutes, but it was not enough.
 
James Cullen (Western Springs, Ill.) also scored in double figures for the Cardinals, tossing in 12 points.
 
Jason Faul led five Gustavus players in double figures, scoring a game-high 21 points, while Riley Sharbono chipped in 18. Kelsey Thomas (14), C.J. Woda (11), and Austin Goetz (10) also scored in double figures for GAC (1-0 MIAC, 3-2).
 
The Cardinals (0-1 MIAC, 1-3 overall) are back in action on Saturday, traveling to Augsburg's Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 1 p.m. conference showdown against the Auggies.