Box Score  | GameDay Preview

NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team has made a habit of entering the locker room without the lead at halftime.

In fact, in three of their last four wins, the Cardinals' rallied from a halftime deficit to pick up the victory.

Saturday, however, would not be win No. 4, as St. Olaf scored 10 of the first 13 points to open the second half, as the Oles broke away from a 28-28 deadlock at the half to hand the Cardinals a 57-47 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Skoglund Center.

Midway through the first half, St. Olaf boasted an eight-point, 18-10, advantage, but a half-ending 18-10 SMU run pulled the Cardinals even, 28-28, at the break.

St. Olaf came of the gates quickly to open the second half, scoring 10 of the first 13 to grab a 38-31 advantage with 12:13 left, and pushing that lead to 13, 50-37, with 5:45 remaining in regulation.

The Cardinals would claw back to within six, 50-44, on a free throw by Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) with 1:28 on the clock. That, however, would be as close as SMU would get, as St. Olaf used a 7-3 game-ending run to seal the win.

Thone finished with a team-high 16 points — including 11 in the first half — , while Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) chipped in eight points and Brittany Begrowicz (Des Plaines, Ill.) added seven. SMU shot 34 percent from the field (16-for-47) and were 11 of 13 from the free throw line.

Mackenzie Wolter netted a game-high 18 points — including a 9-for-12 effort from the free throw line — for the Oles, while Elise Raney and Erin Haglund also finished in double figures with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

The Cardinals (9-6 MIAC, 9-9 overall) are right back in action on Sunday, hosting Concordia in a 3 p.m. MIAC game at the SMU Gym.