By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Information Director
 
ST. PETER, Minn. — Through eight games, there was one thing that was abundantly clear — Gustavus was very good on its home court.
 
Which is right where the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team found themselves Saturday afternoon.
 
The Gusties headed into their conference showdown with the Cardinals unbeaten in four contests at Gus Young Court — and the Cardinals were determined not to be victim No. 5.
 
Gustavus, however, had other ideas — scoring early and often and holding the Cardinals at bay down the stretch to deal Saint Mary's its first conference loss of the season, a 65-56 decision.
 
The Cardinals spent the entire first half trying to overcome a sluggish start that saw Gustavus score the game's first eight points and 13 of the first 14 to grab a 13-1 advantage.
 
Saint Mary's whittled the deficit to seven twice in the game's opening 10 minutes, but trailed by eight, 21-13 heading into the second quarter.
 
The Cardinals continued to peck away at the Gustie lead, trimming it to four, 28-24, on a pair of field goals by Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill.), only to have GAC end the half on a 7-2 run to carry a 35-26 lead into the break.
 
It was more of the same in the second half, as Saint Mary's cut the deficit to one possession in the third quarter — 39-36 — and two possessions in the fourth — 52-47 — only to have Gustavus pull away each time.
 
After getting within 39-36 midway through the third quarter, Gustavus went on an 11-1 run that pushed the Gustie lead to 13, 50-37, heading into the game's final 10 minutes.
 
Saint Mary's again cut into the Gustavus advantage, scoring nine of the first 11 points of the fourth quarter to make it a five-point game, 52-47 with midway through. Unfazed, Gustavus promptly scored five straight points — and 13 of the game's final 19 — to seal their fifth straight home win.
 
Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) scored a team-high 15 points and added 13 rebounds for her first double-double of the season, while Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Minn.) chipped in 14 points.
 
Saint Mary's shot 38 percent from the field (13-for-34) — including a 7 of 14 showing from behind the 3-point line — while adding 9 of 13 free throws.
 
Gustavus, which got a game-high 26 points from Justine Lee — including 17 in the first half — shot 40 percent from the field (25-for-61) with five 3-pointers and 10 of 15 free throws.
 
The Cardinals (2-1 MIAC, 5-3 overall) hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to St. Joseph, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference contest against Saint Benedict at Claire Lynch Hall.