Photos of SMU-Carleton game / click here

WINONA, Minn. — With four games remaining in the regular season, and a berth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs a very real possibility, the buzz around the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team has been "taking care of our own business."

If the Cardinals could do that, their invitation to the conference's six-team post-season party would be in the mail.

The Cardinals didn't do a very good job of taking care of business against Carleton at the SMU Gym Wednesday.

In fact, any more performances like Wednesday's 66-43 setback — and SMU will be going out of business.

SMU shot just 38 percent from the field — and managed just 18 second-half points — as Carleton rallied from a six-point, 25-19 halftime deficit to hand the Cardinals their third straight loss.

The Cardinals, with their 6-10 conference mark, entered Wednesday's action trailing Carleton and St. Olaf by one game in the race for the sixth and final playoff spot. With the loss — and wins by both Carleton and St. Olaf — SMU is now staring at an uphill climb, as both the Knights and Oles moved another game clear of the Cardinals with three games remaining in the regular season.

Despite hitting on just 9 of 20 first-half shots, the Cardinals opened a six-point halftime edge. But the frigid shooting from the outside caught up to SMU in the second half, as Carleton scored 10 of the half's first 13 points — and never trailed again.

Brensley Haywood (Joliet, Ill.) netted a team-high 12 points — marking the ninth straight game that the SMU senior has scored in double figures — for the Cardinals, while Tommy Drake popped in a game-high 20 points and Zach Johnson added 18 for Carleton.