Game Summary

WINONA, Minn. — Despite the fact that the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team had a crucial two-game homestand this weekend — squaring off against defending MIAC champion and NCAA qualifier Carleton on Saturday and then turning around and facing Concordia, the team that knocked the Cardinals out ot last year's MIAC tournament the following day — SMU coach Dan Messmann vowed his team was not about to take Monday's game against Macalester lightly.

The Scots probably wish they had.

The Cardinals made it look easy Monday, scoring the game's first 12 points and cruising to a 76-41 victory.

Megan Moran (Burlington, Wis.) netted a team-high 15 points for the Cardinals, who improved to 3-0 in the MIAC and 5-0 overall — SMU's best start since the 1985-86 season, when the Cardinals opened with 18 straight wins. Angie Arrington (Spring Grove, Minn.) chipped in 14 points and Tessa Stranik (Eatonville, Wash.) finished with 11.

The Cardinals scored the final six points of the first half to take a 44-22 advantage into the locker room at the intermission, then picked up right where they left off in the second half, scoring the half's first 10 points and built a lead as big as 41 points, 69-28, in cruising to the victory.

The Cardinals, who shot 50 percent from the field (31 of 62) and made 6 of 12 free throws, got scoring from 11 different players, while Macalester (0-3 MIAC, 0-5), was led by Sarah Moody, who scored 22 of the Scots' 41 points.