Game Summary vs. UST / GameDay Online

WINONA, Minn. — Heading into Wednesday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against St. Thomas, the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team had struggled to get into first gear, managing 20 or fewer points in the first half of five of their first six games.

The Cardinals' first-half struggles continued Monday night — and, unfortunately for the Cardinals, it carried over into the second half as well.

SMU managed just 18 points over the game's opening 20 minutes, and the Cardinals weren't much better in the second half, scoring just 22 as St. Thomas rolled to a 102-40 conference win at UST's Schoenecker Arena.

St. Thomas put the game away early, scoring the game's first eight points — and the Tommies never let up, scoring more points in the first half than SMU did in the entire game, as UST raced to a 58-18 halftime advantage. The Tommies drained a school-record 16 3-pointers — eight in each half — had got scoring from 14 different players en route to their fourth win in five MIAC contests.

The Cardinals, who made just six field goals in the opening half, saw their shooting touch go from cold to frigid, as SMU went a dismal 5-for-23 in the second half, shooting just 21 percent (5-for-23) from the field, while scoring 10 of their 22 second-half points from the free-throw line.

Michelle Carne (Escanaba, Mich.) led the Cardinals (0-4 MIAC, 0-6 overall) with eight points, while Jennifer Rietzler (Oregon, WIs.) added seven.

Jessica Katch scored a team-best 17 points for UST, becoming the Tommies' ninth 1,000-point scorer in the process. Jordyn Sears (14 points) and Ali Johnson (12 points) also scored in doubles figures for UST.

The Cardinals are now off until Dec. 31, when they travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a 5 p.m. nonconference game against Coe College.