SMU vs. Nebraska Wesleyan / Thursday, Dec. 28, 2006

vs.
Summary
1
2
OT
OT
F
Nebraska Wesleyan
25
36
61
Saint Mary's
39
40
76
GameDay / Box Score / Game Highlights: Dan Cormier, SMU: 23 points, 6 rebounds; Brensley Haywood, SMU: 15 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds; Marcus Minzel: NWU: 27 points


Cardinals return from break with impressive 76-61 win vs. NWU

WINONA, Minn. — If Mike Trewick hand any concerns about the state of his Saint Mary's University men's basketball team following the long Christmas layoff, the Cardinals put them to rest early Thursday evening.

In fact, the Cardinals made it look rather easy in their nonconference game against Nebraska Wesleyan.

SMU jumped out to an 8-0 lead, closed out the first half with a 17-2 run and cruised to a 76-61 nonconference win over the Prairie Wolves at the SMU Gym.

"I was very pleased with the way we came out and played today," said Trewick. "Anytime you are coming off of a break, as a coach, you are a little concerned about where your team is at. And that's exactly why we scheduled this game at this point in the season — to give us a chance to work out some of the kinks before we get back into conference play."

The Cardinals certainly appeared "kinkless" against the Prairie Wolves, as SMU got a pair of buckets from Brensley Haywood (Joliet, Ill.) and another by Eric Lear (Antoich, Ill.) in building an 8-0 cushion in the game's opening three minutes. A 12-4 NWU run, however, pulled Nebraska Wesleyan even at 12-12 with 12:22 remaining. SMU responded by scoring seven of the next nine points to regain a five-point, 19-14 advantage, but the Prairie Wolves once again battled back, scoring nine straight points to grab their biggest lead of the game, 23-19 with eight minutes left in the opening half.

From there, it was all Cardinals, as SMU scored 17 of the halves' final 19 points — including nine from Dan Cormier (Blaine, Minn.) to take a commanding 36-25 advantage into the locker room at the half.

There would be no second-half Nebraska Wesleyan runs, as the Cardinals built leads as big as 26, and never let the Prairie Wolves closer than nine, en route to their third win in eight games.

Cormier led the Cardinals' offensive charge, eclipsing the 20-point mark for the third time in December, scoring a team-best 23 points, while Haywood added 15 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.

"This was a total team effort," said Trewick, whose team shot 60 percent from the field (29-for-48), while holding NWU to just 25 of 66 (38 percent) shooting. "What impressed me most was the fact that we had 29 baskets and 21 assists — we did a very good job of making the right decisions with the basketball, and that was good to see."