WINONA, Minn. — It had been 30 days since the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team knocked off Macalester 66-57 on the Cardinals' home floor.

In that 30-day span since SMU's upset win, the Scots went 8-1 — reeling off eight straight victories before last Wednesday's overtime loss to league-leading Gustavus.

So, when the two teams met Saturday afternoon in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rematch, the Scots certainly had a score to settle.

And settle they did — but it wasn't easy.

Macalester scored the game's final five points, snapping a 74-74 tie and leading the Scots to a 79-74 victory over SMU.

Jeff Tendall (LeClaire, Iowa) scored a game- and career-high 29 points for the Cardinals, who led 32-31 at the half, and held a four-point, 71-67 lead with 4:24 remaining in regulation.

Macalester scored five straight points on three free throws and a field goal by Ben Thorre to give the Scots a 72-71 advantage with 2:27 left. Terrence Smith (Broadview, Ill.), who finished with 10 points, nailed a jumper to give SMU a 73-72 lead and a free throw by Tendall pushed that lead to two, 74-72, with 1:48 to play.

From there, however, it was all Macalester, as the Scots scored the game's final five points — thanks in part to three missed field goals and a missed free throw by the Cardinals — en route to the five-point win.

The Cardinals shot 45 percent from the field (23-=for-51), and were 22 of 31 from the free-throw line. But in the Cardinals made just 1 of 5 free-throws over the game's final five minutes in dropping their third straight.