Game Summary vs. CSB / Game Summary / Photo Gallery

WINONA, Minn. — Mandy Pearson summed up the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team's performance Saturday afternoon in three words: “We're getting better.”

Now, if they can just stay away from those three-minute meltdowns, they will really be on their way.

It's been nearly a month since the Cardinals played a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game — and the Cardinals still can't get the visions of that nightmarish 102-40 loss to St. Thomas out of their heads.

And, unfortunately for the Cardinals, even if they had forgotten, Saint Benedict made them remember it all over again, as the Blazers — who, like the Tommies, entered their conference contest against SMU atop the MIAC standings with a perfect 4-0 record — used a 14-0 run to start the second half in handing SMU a 74-55 setback at the SMU Gym.

“We are playing so much better now than we were (against St. Thomas),” said Pearson, whose team dropped its eighth straight. “It's just those short spurts where we seem to struggle from the field, and no matter who we play, they are making us pay for it.”

The Blazers were the latest beneficiary of that SMU meltdown — twice — as CSB, which led by just two, 19-17, with 6:28 to play in the first half, outscored the Cardinals 16-7 over those final six minutes, then raced out to 14 straight points in the opening 4:30 of the second half to put the game out of reach.

“It's disappointing to look at the final score, because I thought we played them much tougher than that final score indicates,” said Pearson, whose team shot just 27 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, but were benefited by four 3-pointers — including a trio from Jesa Hall (Glenwood City, Wis.). “We just had two bad stretches, and those stretches really hurt us.

“We not there yet, but we are getting there.”

Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) scored a team-high 16 points in the losing effort for SMU, while Hall chipped in 15 points — all from 3-point land, where the sophomore was 5-for-7. Mindy Schmidt led four CSB players in double figures, tossing in a game-high 20 points, while Amy Stifter and Danielle Frank each tallied 12 points and Ariel Tauer finished with 10.

The Cardinals, who opened the season with seven straight road games, play their second straight home game Monday, playing host to Carleton in a 7:30 p.m. conference contest.