By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — Everything appeared to be going just fine for the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team in its conference-opener against St. Olaf Saturday afternoon.
 
For three quarters.
 
Unfortunately, a collegiate basketball game consists of four quarters — and the game's final 10 minutes Saturday afternoon were nothing short of a nightmare for the Cardinals.
 
Clinging to a one-point lead, the Cardinals scored just 12 fourth-quarter points ­— 10 of which came at the free throw line — as St. Olaf rallied to deal Saint Mary's a 70-61 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
St. Olaf came out of the gates with the hot hand, building leads as big as eight in the first half, before settling for a six-point, 19-13 advantage after the game's opening 10 minutes.
 
Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) knocked down a jumper to highlight a 9-4 second quarter-opening run and pull the Cardinals even, 23-23. Saint Mary's would lead 26-25 and 29-27 late, before St. Olaf scored the final four points of the half to take a 31-29 advantage into the locker room at the break.
 
Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) scored the first basket of the third quarter to pull even, 31-31, but the Cardinals would not grab the lead until a pair of free throws by Isabel Bettag (Maple Park, Ill.) gave SMU a 42-40 cushion. The game would be tied three times down the stretch, before a pair of free throws by Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) put the Cardinals out front, 49-48 heading into the game's final 10-minute period.
 
K'Lynn Lewis knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to open the fourth quarter, and the Cardinals never recovered, as St. Olaf led by as many as 12 — boasting a 22-12 scoring edge and holding Saint Mary's without a field goal until a Biermeier layup at the buzzer
 
Paulson finished with a team-high 21 points on 7 of 14 shooting — including five 3-pointers — while Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) chipped in 11 points. The Cardinals shot 26.8 from the field (19-for-71) with seven 3-pointers and went 16 of 22 from the free throw line.
 
St. Olaf — which shot 51.1 percent from the field (24-for-47) — finished with five players in double figures, led by Keegan Mulvihill, who scored 14 points and added 10 rebounds.
 
The Cardinals (0-1 MIAC, 0-3 overall) are back in action on Tuesday, heading to Saint Benedict's Claire Lynch Hall in St. Joseph, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference matchup against the Bennies. The Oles (1-0 MIAC, 4-2 overall) return home to Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn., on Tuesday, playing host to Bethel in a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown