By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WAVERLY, Iowa — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team headed into Friday's nonconference showdown against Wartburg knowing they were going to have their hands full.
 
After all, Wartburg has made four straight NCAA national tournament appearances — including an NCAA Final Four showing two years ago and a trip to the Elite 8 last season — and entered Friday's matchup against Saint Mary's riding a six-game winning streak and a No. 7 ranking in both the WBCA and D3hoops.com polls.
 
And, unfortunately for the Cardinals, the Knights lived up to the hype.
 
Wartburg scored the game's first 10 points and never took its foot off the accelerator, as the Knights dealt the Cardinals a 91-54 setback at LeVick Gym.
 
If the Cardinals could have taken away the first two minutes of the opening quarter, they would have gone into quarter No. 2 with a two-point, 12-10 lead. Problem was, Wartburg erupted for 10 unanswered points to start the game and led, 20-12 after the game's opening 10 minutes.
 
Wartburg continued to methodically pull away in the second quarter — thanks in large part to the play of Amanda Brainerd, who scored five straight points to open the frame. The Knights pushed their advantage to 20, 38-18 on a Brainerd 3-pointer with just under four minutes to play until halftime, and held a 22-point cushion, 44-22 — again on three straight points from Brainerd — and took a 45-25 advantage into the locker room at the break.
 
Wartburg's Payton Draper drained a 3-pointer to open the third quarter, sparking a 7-2 quarter-opening run for the Knights, who pushed the lead to as many as 32, before settling for a 73-41 cushion heading into the final quarter.
 
The Knights struck first for a fourth straight quarter to open the final stanza — this time getting an Ally Conrad 3-pointer — and Wartburg would not let the Cardinals get closer than 30 the rest of the way in sealing the nonconference victory.
 
Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) scored a team-high 12 points, with Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill.) each chipping in nine points. Saint Mary's shot 38.9 percent from the field (21-for-54) — including four 3-pointers — while adding an 8-for-16 showing from the free throw line.
 
Brainerd scored a team-high 14 points for the Knights, with Tori Hazard and Conrad each chipping in 12. Wartburg finished 33-for-54 from the field (61.1 percent) — including 15 3-pointers — and finished 10 of 16 from the free throw line.
 
The Cardinals (1-6 overall) are now off until Dec. 29-30, when they head to Wisconsin Dells, Wis., to take part in the JustAGame Holiday Tournament. Saint Mary's will face UW-Whitewater at 1 p.m. on Dec. 29, before squaring off against UW-Stevens Point at 3 p.m. on Dec. 30. The Knights (9-1 overall) do not play again until Dec. 29-30, when they return home to LeVick Arena in Waverly, Iowa, to host the Wartburg Holiday Tournament. Wartburg will face Baldwin-Wallace at 1 p.m. on Dec. 29, and square off against either UW-La Crosse or Washington (Mo.) University the following day.