By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team had everything under control for the first three quarters of Wednesday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Hamline.
 
And then came the fourth quarter.
 
Hamline erupted for 28-points in the game's final 10 minutes — including a buzzer-beating 3-point bomb by Kaeli Stayer — as the Pipers rallied from a nine-point deficit with 3:19 remaining to deal the Cardinals a 67-66 setback at Hutton Arena.
 
Saint Mary's raced out to a 21-14 lead after the game's opening 10 minutes, and pushed that lead to eight, 35-27 at halftime. And with a 13-12 scoring advantage in quarter No. 3 that gave the Cardinals' a nine-point, 48-39 cushion, it appeared as if Saint Mary's was well on its way the convincing conference victory.
 
Hamline, however, had other ideas.
 
Trailing by seven, 65-58 with 25 seconds to play, Reilly Geistfeld drilled a 3-pointer to make it 65-61. Saint Mary's missed a pair of free throws and Geistfeld answered with yet another 3-point bomb to cut the deficit to one, 65-64, with four seconds on the clock.
 
Hamline immediately fouled on the ensuing inbounds and the Cardinals made the first free throw, but missed the second, for a two-point, 66-65 lead — setting up Stayer's game-winner 3-pointer.
 
Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinals, scoring 11 points and adding 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Abby Winter (Winona, Minn.) and Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.) each chipped in 10 points, while Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) equaled Kedl's 11-rebound performance.
 
Saint Mary's shot 43 percent from the field (25-for-58) with seven 3-pointers and a 9-for-18 showing from the free throw line. Hamline, meanwhile, was just 21 of 72 from the field (29 percent), but hit eight 3-pointers and finished 17-for-19 from the charity stripe.
 
Geistfeld poured in a game-high 23 points for the Pipers, who won their fourth straight in improving to 3-2 in conference play and 8-4 overall.
 
The Cardinals (3-2 MIAC, 7-5 overall) are back on their home floor at the Saint Mary's Gym on Saturday, entertaining Augsburg in a 1 p.m. conference matchup.