By
DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team turned up the offensive heat Saturday afternoon — and the end result was a double win No. 1.
The Cardinals, fueled by four double-figure scorers, picked up their first win of the season — while giving coach
David Foley his first victory as Saint Mary's head coach — beating Nebraska Wesleyan 87-76 during Day 2 of the Saint Benedict Quinlivan & Hughes Tip-Off Tournament.
Saint Mary's, coming off a 72-62 loss to Simpson on Friday, got off to a roaring start, outscoring the Prairie Wolves 28-19 through the game's opening 10 minutes, only to have Nebraska Wesleyan whittled that lead down to five, 47-42, thanks to a 23-19 scoring edge in the second quarter.
The Cardinals continued to have the upper hand, using a 24-23 third-quarter performance to push their lead to six, 71-65 heading into the game's final 10-minute quarter.
And in that quarter, the Cardinals put an exclamation point on their first win of the season, outscoring the Prairie Wolves 16-11 to seal the victory.
Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill.) and
Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) each posted career-best 15-point performances to pace the Cardinals, while
Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) and
Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) both chipped in 11 points.
Along with her 11 points, Kedl equaled a career-best with 10 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double, while
Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.) chipped in seven points and a team-best seven assists.
Caitlin Navratil poured in a game-high 27 points for Nebraska Wesleyan, with Klaire Phillips and Bailey Meehan adding 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Saint Mary's shot 50 percent from the field, going 31-for-62 — including seven 3-pointers — while Nebraska Wesleyan went 28-for-67 (42 percent) with nine treys in the losing effort.
The Cardinals (1-1 overall) are back in action on Tuesday, traveling to Duluth, Minn., for a 7 p.m. nonconference game against St. Scholastica.
