Game Summary

ST. PAUL, Minn. — It wasn't easy.

And it wasn't very pretty.

But the bottom line is, it was a win for the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team.

The Cardinals — plagued once again by second-half scoring woes — held off a late Macalester charge in beating the Scots 43-37 Saturday afternoon.

SMU shot just 38 percent from the field in the first half, making 13 of 34 field goals — including just a 2-for-16 showing from behind the 3-point line — but those 30 first-half points were more than enough to give the Cardinals what seemed like a commanding 30-14 halftime advantage.

Then came the second half.

And the Cardinals' shoot touch, as cool as it was in the first half, turned ice cold.

SMU made only six second-half field goals — two by Dusty Benham (Deer River, Minn.) and one each by Amy Saufferer (Morristown, Minn.) and Jacqui Ripoli (Belvidere, Ill.) — shooting 19 percent from the field in letting the Scots put a scare into the Cardinals down the stretch.

Danielle Dehning (Spring Grove, Minn.) led the way for SMU, scoring nine points and pulling down seven rebounds, while Saufferer finished with seven points and Alissa Banttari (Forest Lake, Minn.) tallied six points and eight rebounds.