By JAKE WANEK
Special to Saint Mary's Sports Information Office
 
ST. PAUL, Minn. — On a day when the temperature outside St. Thomas' Schoenecker Arena barely hovered above zero, it was the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team that hoped to cool off the red-hot, nationally ranked Tommies.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, St. Thomas caught fire midway through the second quarter and never looked back en route to a 68-41 win over Saint Mary's on Saturday afternoon.

Through the first 15 minutes, the Cardinals gave fifth-ranked UST all they could handle. Trailing 18-11 early in the second quarter, Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) made sure the Tommies weren't going to run away with things.

The sophomore converted on a three-point play, blocked a shot on the defensive end, and then nailed two free throws. Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) followed the impressive sequence with a fade-away jumper of her own to tie the game at 18-18 with 8:13 remaining in the half.

That, however, was when the Tommies caught their spark. Two 3-pointers by Kaia Porter and another by Kaylie Brazil gave St. Thomas a 9-point lead going into halftime. The Tommies picked up where they left off to begin the third quarter, coming out of the break on a 16-3 run to take control of the game for good.

Kedl led the Cardinals in scoring with nine points, including a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line, while Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) and Caily Landers (Palos Heights, Ill.) each chipped in seven. As a team the Cardinals shot just 25% (14-for-56) from the field.

Porter and Hannah Spaulding led the Tommies, each finishing with 15 points, while Lucia Renikoff added 11. St. Thomas shot 46% (25-for-54) from the floor, and knocked down nine 3-pointers on their way to victory.

Saint Mary's (6-4 MIAC, 10-7 overall) returns to action on Wednesday, January 23 as the Cardinals host the College of Saint Benedict in a 7 p.m. conference match-up at Saint Mary's Gym.