Game Summary

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Dan Messmann could hardly wait, his Saint Mary's University women's basketball team had been practicing for more than a month — 30 days of battling against no one but themselves.

The Cardinals looked good, but then, they looked good against themselves. Just how would they stack up against other teams in NCAA Division IIII?

If Friday's performance against Cal Lutheran is any indication, the Cardinals stack up just fine.

Led by Angie Arrington's (Spring Grove, Minn.) game-high 24 points, the Cardinals opened the season in impressive fashion, beating Cal Lutheran 84-65 in the opening round of the Colorado College / Redisison Thanksgiving Invitational.

The Cardinals, who finished with a 17-9 record a year ago, posting their most wins since SMU went 21-3 and placed third in the NCAA regional tournament in 1985-86, left little doubt against Cal Lutheran, outscoring the Regals 35-25 in the first half, then putting the game out of reach over the game's final 20 minutes, shooting 57 percent from the field and outscoring Cal Lutheran 49-40.

Jamie Rattunde (Rollingstone, Minn.) just missed a double-double in her season-opener, finishing with 13 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, while Megan Moran (Burlington, Wis.) chipped in 11 points.

With the win, SMU (1-0 overall) earned a spot opposite host Colorado College — a 67-56 winner over Lewis and Clark — in Saturday's championship game.