ST. PETER, Minn. — Saint Mary's University men's basketball coach Mike Trewick had one wish when entering Wednesday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference battle at Gustavus: to chalk-up the Cardinals' first MIAC win of the season.

But wishes weren't enough for Trewick and the Cardinals, as the Gusties cruised past SMU, 74-57.

Gustavus (3-2 MIAC, 5-5 overall) nearly doubled the Cardinals' score at the half, posting a 63 percent effort in field goal shooting to hold a 42-24 advantage.

And although SMU (1-9) stayed in stride with the Gusties in the second half — scoring 33 points to their 32 points — it couldn't make up for the first half disadvantage.

Michael Batterman (Fond du Lac, Wis.) posted a team-high 13 points and nine rebounds for Saint Mary's, while Brensley Haywood (Joliet, Ill.) added 12 points and Eric Lear (Antioch, Ill.) contributed 11 points.

The Cardinals play host to St. John's University on Saturday at 3 p.m.