By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — What a difference a day (or three) makes.
 
The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team struggled to find its shooting touch in last Wednesday's nonconference loss against Viterbo — hitting on just 17 of its 53 field goal attempts in scoring 49 points in a 53-49 setback.
 
Three days later, the Cardinals redeemed themselves, surpassing that 49-point threshold with 1:29 remaining in the third quarter, as Saint Mary's cruised to a 72-57 nonconference win over North Central Saturday at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) scored the game's opening basket — and Saint Mary's would not relinquish the lead, building its advantage to 13 twice in the first quarter, including 24-11 after 10 minutes of play.
 
Saint Mary's would get a 3-pointer by Kirsten Keefe (Chatfield, Minn.) to open the second quarter — pushing the lead to 16, 27-11 — but North Central responded by scoring 12 of the next 14 points to whittle the lead down to six, 29-23 with 4:31 remaining until halftime.
 
North Central continued to chip away at the Saint Mary's lead, making it a four-point game, 35-31, on a pair of free throws by Natalie Dimitrova — only to have SMU get a bucket by Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) to make it a six-point cushion, 37-31 at the break.
 
With Saint Mary's leading 43-35 midway through the third quarter, North Central made one final push, cutting the gap to three, 45-42, on a basket by Alanna Newsome. The Cardinals, however, closed the quarter on a 9-3 run to take an 11-point, 56-45 lead into the game's final 10 minutes.
 
And what a quarter it proved to be — for Paulson, who was held scoreless since opening the game with a field goal on her first attempt. The sophomore poured in 11 fourth-quarter points — all in a span of less than two minutes — as Saint Mary's outscored North Central 16-12 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
 
Paulson and Blattner led four Saint Mary's players in double figures, both scoring 13 points, while Caily Landers (Palos Heights, Ill.) and Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) each chipped in 10. Saint Mary's shot 47 percent from the field (30-for-64) with six 3-pointers and a 6-for-10 showing from the free throw line.
 
Newsome, Dimitrova, and Allison Pearson all netted 11 points for North Central, which went 21-for-66 from the field, but were just 7 of 35 from beyond the arc.
 
Saint Mary's (7-4 overall) is now off until Jan. 2, when it returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play — traveling to Hamline's Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup against the Pipers.