Game Summary vs. St. Olaf / GameDay Online

NORTHFIELD, Minn. — It's been nearly a month since the Saint Mary's University and St. Olaf women's basketball teams have met.

But when the horn sounded Saturday afternoon, Cardinal coach Mandy Pearson must have felt like she stepped into a time machine and was transferred back to Jan. 17.

Why Jan. 17?

That was the date the Cardinals beat the Oles, snapping a season-opening 12-game losing streak.

The score of that game: 65-62.

Fast-forward to Saturday, where the Cardinals put an end to another lengthy losing streak, this one a six-game slide, with their second Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over the Oles this season.

The score Saturday: 65-62.

“This was a nice win for us,” said Pearson, whose Cardinals improved to 4-16 in the MIAC and 4-19 overall with the win — the third three-point win vs. the Oles in the teams' last four meetings. “We knew coming in it was going to take a total team effort, and that's what we got today — everyone played well..

“Our post play was huge — they did a great job of taking that part of their game away from St. Olaf,” Pearson added. “Defensively, we played very well.”

They weren't too shabby on the offensive end, either.

The Cardinals knocked down 11 3-pointers — including eight in the first half, when SMU rallied form a 12-3 deficit to take a 13-point, 35-22 advantage at the break.

The Oles made things interesting over the game's final 20 minutes, cutting the Cardinals' gap to five, midway through the half, then getting it to four, 60-56, in the final minute. But each time the Oles threatened, SMU had an answer in beating St. Olaf for the fourth straight time.

Cherie Kulig (Independence, Wis.) led the way for the Cardinals scoring 19 points on 4 of 8 shooting and a 10-for-13 effort from the free throw line. Jess Miller Carver, Minn.) chipped in 17 points, while Jesa Hall (Glenwood City, Wis.) added 11.

Elyse Erickson scored a game-high 23 points for the Oles, who also got a near triple-double from Jamie Erdahl, who scored 16 points and added nine rebounds and nine assists.

“We needed a performance like this,” said Pearson, whose team picked up its first road win of the season, and snapped a 19-game road losing streak that dated back to a 57-54 win at St. Olaf on Jan. 5, 2008. “We struggled a bit early on — our shots just weren't falling — but then we caught fire, took the lead and never looked back.”