By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team attempted a season-high 35 free throws—knocking down 25 of them—in the Cardinals' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown with Macalester Saturday afternoon.
 
But there was nothing "free" about the Cardinals' 69-57 victory at Leonard Center.
 
Saint Mary's, clinging to one-point leads at the half, and after three quarters, outscored Macalester 25-14 in the decisive fourth quarter in locking up its sixth MIAC Playoff berth in the last seven seasons.
 
Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) proved to be a one-woman wrecking crew for the Cardinals, scoring a game-high 25 points, while hauling in a career- and single-game school-record 20 rebounds in leading Saint Mary's to their third straight victory.
 
With the win, the Cardinals improved to 9-7 in conference play and jumped up to fifth in the regular-season standings, two games in front of both Augsburg and St. Catherine with two games to play. Since St. Catherine and Augsburg play each other on Wednesday, one of the two will not be able to catch Saint Mary's, earning the Cardinals one of the six post-season invitations.
 
The Cardinals were virtually untouchable in the first quarter, scoring 12 of the game's first 16 points for an early, eight-point 12-4 advantage—before settling for a four-point, 17-13 edge after the opening 10 minutes.
 
As red-hot as the Cardinals were in the first quarter, they were equally as ice cold in the second, as Macalester opened the half with seven straight points to take a 20-17 lead. Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) answered with a 3-pointer to pull the Cardinals even, 20-20, but Justine Barraza's second trey of the quarter gave the lead back to the Scots, 23-20.
 
A Blattner free throw and a three-point play by Ewelina Schlomann (New Berlin, Wis.) put Saint Mary's back in front, 24-23. Blattner and Vivi Gregorich traded 3-pointers in the quarter's final minutes, as Saint Mary's took a one-point, 27-26 lead into the locker room at the half.
 
Macalester outscored Saint Mary's 13-8 to open the third quarter, grabbing a 39-35 advantage, but six straight free throws from Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.)  and three more free throws from Blattner gave Saint Mary's a 44-39 lead, a lead the Scots would trim to one, 44-43 with a quarter-ending 4-0 run.
 
The Scots opened the fourth quarter in much the same fashion they opened the third, scoring four straight points—and six of the first eight—to take a 49-46 lead.
 
That would be the last time the Scots would play with the lead, however, as Saint Mary's got a 3-pointer from Vesel to spark a 12-0 run that put the Cardinals in front
58-49—and the Scots would not threaten again.
 
Along with Blattner's 10^th double-double of the season, the Cardinals—who shot 26.5 percent from the field (19-for-52) and were 25 of 35 from the free throw line—also got 15 points from Vesel, while Huisman chipped in six points, all from the free throw line.
 
Macalester put two players in double figures, getting 14 points from Gregorich and 10 from Regan Fruh.
 
The Cardinals (14-9 overall) return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as Saint Mary's entertains St. Thomas in a 7 p.m. showdown at the Saint Mary's Gym.