Game Summary

WINONA, Minn. — For the last two years, Jamie Rattunde (Rollingstone, Minn.) has been the top gun for the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team.

An All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection a year ago, not  to mention a member of the MIAC All-First Year Team as a freshman and a two-time member of the MIAC All-Defensive team, Rattunde has made a name for herself around the conference.

Wednesday evening against Augsburg, Rattunde gladly shared the limelight with teammate Ashley Luehmann (Lewiston, Minn.).

And the Cardinals' dynamic duo did a number on the Auggies, combining for 45 of SMU's 60 points in a 60-53 win at the SMU Gym.

"Both Jamie and Ashley played very well," understated SMU coach Dan Messmann, whose team rebounded from a disappointing 86-60 loss to Gustavus last Saturday with their seventh win in 12 games. "It was good to see Ashley break out a bit like she did, and Jamie played the way we need her to play — she played with discipline and stuck to the fundamentals."

Luehmann carried the brunt of the scoring load, netting 26 points on 9 of 18 shooting — including a sizzling 5-for-9 from beyond the 3-point line. Rattunde, meanwhile, chipped in 19 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.

"We needed tom come out and put together a good performance, especially after the way we played (against Gustavus)," said Messmann, whose team jumped out to a commanding 41-24 halftime advantage, then hung on for the seven-point win. "The first half we played exceptionally well, and in the second half we struggled a bit — it was a tale of two halves.

"Our job now is to find a way to play like we did in the first half for a complete game."

The Cardinals shot 40 percent from the field (15-for-37) in the first half and forced the Auggies into 19 first-half turnovers en route to their commanding halftime advantage. SMU pushed that lead to 20 points, 46-26, in the first minute of the second half, but a 12-3 Augsburg run cut the gap to 11 with 10 minutes remaining, and the Auggies whittled it down to seven twice, but could get no closer in falling for the fifth time in their last six games.

Selina Theisen scored a game-high 29 points and pulled down 15 rebounds in the losing effort for Augsburg (2-7 MIAC, 2-10 overall).