Game Summary / GameDay Preview

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — There's something about the Colorado College Tip-Off Classic that seems to bring out the best in the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team.

The last time the Cardinals took part in the three-team tournament, they went a perfect 2-0, beating Cal Lutheran and host Colorado College to kick off the 2004-2005 season.

And the Cardinals opened this year's tourney with an impressive 62-38 victory over the host Tigers.

Unfortunately, not even SMU's best was enough Saturday against Hardin-Simmons, as the Cowgirls scored five points in the game's final 54 seconds to force overtime, then outscored SMU 9-7 in the overtime period to secure a 74-72 nonconference victory.

“We played very well,” said SMU coach Mandy Pearson, whose team suffered its first loss of the season in falling to 2-1 overall. “They had a couple of players (Coco Cartwright and Lindsey Newcombe) who were tough to stop tonight.

“It was one of those games where we allowed (Hardin-Simmons) to get on a roll in the second half and that let them right back in the game,” Pearson added. “Other than that lapse, we played a pretty solid game start-to-finish.”

SMU jumped out to a 9-0 lead and led 37-19 with a minute to play in the first half. Hardin-Simons cut the deficit to 38-25 at halftime and then came out of the locker room boasting a very hot hand.

Whitney Enis scored seven quick points for the Cowgirls and Cartwright hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Cowgirls a 44-38 and cap a 25-1 run to end the first half and the first 4:17 of the second half.

The game went back and forth from there, and SMU retook the lead on a Brittany Begrowicz (Des Plaines, Ill.) lay-up with 7:34 to play. Jess Miller's (Carver, Minn.) basket gave SMU a 65-60 lead with 2:18 to play.
HSU responded with a Cartwright 3-pointer with :54 to play and a
Lindsey Newcombe jumper with four seconds to play that sent the game into overtime.

Cherie Kulig's (Independence, Wis.) 3-pointer gave the Cardinals a 72-68 lead in overtime, but the Cowgirls shut them out the rest of the way. Cartwright drained the last of her six 3-pointers, Newcombe hit a lay-up and Enis split a pair of free throws to seal the win for the Cowgirls.

Kulig led four Cardinals in double figures, tossing in 16 points, while also pulling down nine rebounds. Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) and Miller each added 13 points and Begrowicz chipped in 12.

The Cardinals are now off until Dec. 1, when they open Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on the road at St. Catherine.