MENOMONIE, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota closed out the nonconference portion of its schedule in thrilling fashion Saturday afternoon.
 
And gave head coach Brent Pollari a few grey hairs in the process.
 
The Cardinals got 23 points from both Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) and Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) and held off UW-Stout for a 74-73 victory.
 
Saint Mary's entered the fourth quarter holding a 55-50 advantage, but the Blue Devils would not led the Cardinals pull away, grabbing a 68-65 lead with 1:36 remaining.
 
Enter Meredith.
 
The senior scored six straight points—a tradition three-point play with a layup and a free throw, and a 3-point bomb—to give the Cardinals the lead for good, 71-68.
 
The Cardinals added some much-needed breathing room with a Sam Jones (White Bear Lake, Minn.) free throw to make it 72-68 with nine seconds on the clock.
 
Stout answered with a bucket by Shannan Watkins to make it a two-point game, 72-70, but Bridget Pethke (New London, Wis.) drained two more free throws to push the Cardinals lead to four, 74-70.
 
Watkins knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it was too little, too late.
 
Along with her 23 points—which included a 7-for-7 effort from the free throw line—Blattner also hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Jones chipped in 10 points and Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) added nine points and seven assists.
 
Bailey Diersen finished with a team-high 14 points, while Watkins netted 10 points and Kyleigh Hebert added 10 in the losing effort for UW-Stout.
 
The Cardinals— 10-1 overall and off to their best start since the 1985-86 season—return to conference play on Wednesday, traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup with St. Catherine.