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ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team got back on the winning track Saturday afternoon, as the Cardinals hopped on the shoulders of Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) and rode the junior to a 65-59 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Macalester.

Stefely poured in career-high 25 points — eclipsing her previous career-best of 21 points set on Jan. 19, 2011 against Augsburg — and added 10 rebounds in recording her third double-double of the season and sixth of her career.

As easy as Stefely may have made it look, picking up conference win No. 4 was anything but for the Cardinals, who led by as many as five in the opening half, before settling for a 29-26 halftime advantage.

Macalester used a 19-10 run to start the second half to take a six-point, 45-39, advantage with 13 minutes remaining, but the Cardinals answered, pulling even, 48-48, with a 9-3 run of their own. The game would be tied three more times — the final time at 56-56 with 3:49 left on the clock.

And from there, it was all SMU, as the Cardinals drained five free throws and added field goals by Courtney Euerle (Hutchinson, Minn.) and Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) to seal the win.

Euerle and Thone complimented Stefely's career afternoon with 13 points each, as the trio accounted for 41 of the team's 65 points.

The Cardinals were nothing if not consistent from the field on the afternoon, making 13 of 29 field goals in the opening half, then duplicating that feat over the game's final 20 minutes.

Maggie Wood and Holly Schiedermayer scored 13 and 10 points, respectively in the losing effort for Macalester.

The Cardinals (4-4 MIAC, 4-7 overall) are back in action on Wednesday, when they travel to Arden Hills, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. conference game against Bethel.