Photos of Hamline game / Click here

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team put on a shooting display against Hamline in the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game Wednesday evening.

The Cardinals shot 44 percent from the field (28-for-63), knocked down 21 of 26 free throws, and erupted for a season-high 50 second-half points against the Pipers.

And SMU needed every one of those points, as the Cardinals — fueled by Brensley Haywood's (Joliet, Ill.) game-high 20 points — pushed their MIAC record to 5-2 with an 85-77 win at the SMU Gym.

"We played well tonight — and we played well from start to finish," said SMU coach Mike Trewick, whose team has now won two straight and four of its last five. "We made a few mistakes that let (Hamline) get back in the game down the stretch, but when you have a young team, those things are going to happen. What we didn't do is panic, and that was the difference."

Leading by as many as eight in the first half, the Cardinals turned a four-point, 35-31 halftime advantage into a 17-point, 61-44 cushion with 10:43 remaining in regulation.

That lead, however, slowing began to fade away as the Pipers clawed to within three, 77-74 when Joe Smock drained a 3-pointer, was fouled, and sank the free throw to complete the four-point play.

Unfazed, the Cardinals rattled off four quick points, two on a jumper by Terrence Smith (Broadview, Ill.) and a pair of free throws from Fiore Buccieri (Riverside, Ill.) to push the lead back to seven and ice the win.

"Offensively, I thought we did an outstanding job," said Trewick, who got double-figure scoring from five different players — including Haywood's 20, a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds from Michael Batterman (Fond du Lac, Wis.), 18 points from Smith, 12 from Buccieri and 10 from Michael Rohr (Bloomingdale, Ill.). "We hit some big shots down the stretch when we needed them."