Game Summary vs. CSB / GameDay Online

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team's defensive play through 20 minutes Saturday afternoon was impressive, as the Cardinals held high-scoring Saint Benedict to just 26 first-half points.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, things seemed to unravel in the second half.

The Blazers scored more points in the second half (44) than the Cardinals could muster the entire game (41), as CSB cruised to a 70-41 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory.

SMU jumped out early, scoring five of the game's first seven points, but over the final 15 minutes of the first half, the Cardinals would hit just 3 of 20 field goal attempts in falling behind by 10, 26-16.

And things just went from bad to worse, the as the Blazers, who shot just 30 percent from the field in the game's opening 20 minutes, blistered the nets for 44 second-half points — connecting on 16 of 28 field goals (57 percent), including a 7-for-11 performance from the 3-point line — and pushed their lead to as many as 35 on three separate occasions en route to the lopsided win.

The Cardinals were held without a double-figure scorer for the second straight game, as Jess Miller's (Carver, Minn.) eight points were a team-high. The Blazers, who moved into sole possession of first place in the MIAC with the win, were led by  Amy Stifter's 14 points.

SMU returns to action on Monday, playing host to St. Thomas in a 7:30 p.m. conference game at the SMU Gym.