Game Summary vs. CSC / GameDay Online / Photo Gallery

WINONA, Minn. — It was a game of runs for the Saint Mary's University and St. Catherine women's basketball teams Saturday afternoon at the SMU Gym.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, it was the Wildcats' sprint out of the gates to open the second half that left them in the dust, as St. Catherine erased a five-point halftime deficit by scoring 21 of the first 27 points of the second half and never looked back in dropping SMU 74-58 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference game.

“It's a tough loss — we played so well in the first half, but weren't able to match that in the second,” said SMU coach Mandy Pearson, whose team fell to 0-8 in the MIAC and 0-11 overall with the loss. “I was so happy with our performance in the first half. But it's a 40-minute game — we've got to be able to play like we did in the first half for the entire game.”\

The Cardinals raced out to a 6-0 lead, led 14-2 at the 13:39 mark, and used another 8-0 run to take a 26-18 advantage with 1:40 to go in the first half.

Each time SMU tried to pull away, however, the Wildcats would answer, scoring seven straight points to cut that 14-2 lead to 14-9, then used a 9-0 run to take an 18-16 lead. CSC would also outscore SMU 9-4 in the last 1:40 to pull within five, 30-25, at the break.

Re-engergized by the 15-minute halftime break, the Wildcats came out smoking in the second half, using that 21-6 run to turn a five-point deficit into a 10-point, 46-36, advantage. SMU would cut the gap to nine twice, the last time at 58-49 on a 3-pointer by Jesa Hall (Glenwood City, Wis.) with 6:15
remaining.

That, however, was as close as the Cardinals would get, as St. Catherine used yet another run — this one a game-ending 16-9 tear to end the game — to ice the victory.

Cherie Kulig (Independence, Wis.) scored a season- and career-high 20 points to lead the Cardinals. The sophomore guard was 5 of 8 from the field, while also adding a 7-for-10 performance from the free throw line. Hall finished with 15 points, while Michelle Carne (Escanaba, Mich.) chipped in
10.

St. Catherine's Laura Kallbfell led all scorers with 28 points on 11 of 14 shooting and a 6-for-6 showing from the line. Amy Battey chipped in 12 points and Jessica Arechigo tallied 10 for the Wildcats, who have now won three straight.

The Cardinals are back in action Sunday, playing host to Concordia in a 1 p.m. conference contest at the SMU Gym.