ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — St. Benedict made it 3-for-3 against the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team Monday night, as the Blazers got a game-high 25 points from Michelle Barlau and shot 54 percent from the field en route to an 84-64 victory over the Cardinals in the opening round of the MIAC post-season tournament.

St. Benedict had beaten the Cardinals in each of their two regular-season meetings, including last Saturday's come-from-behind, 72-66 win, in which SMU led by as many as 15 points, only to come up short down the stretch.

The Blazers left little down on Monday, connecting on 15 of 25 first-half field goal attempts — including nine 3-pointers — as they raced to a 45-36 halftime advantage. St. Benedict didn't cool down much in the second half, either, hitting 15 of 31 field goals in outscoring SMU 39-28 over the final 20 minutes.

Jenny Gilles (Keizer, Ore.) scored a team-high 16 points for the Cardinals, while Amy Burns (Winona, Minn.) and Colleen O'Hearn (Champlin, Minn.) each chipped in 12 points.

Along with Barlau — who was the Blazers' leading scorer against the Cardinals in all three meetings – St. Benedict got double-figure scoring performances from Mia Peterson (16 points) and Ashley Brown (14).

The Blazers (21-4 overall) will now face Carleton in one of two semifinal games on Wednesday, while SMU closes out its season at 11-14 overall.