By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary's University women's basketball coach David Foley has read this chapter before.
 
And he didn't like it any more this time than he did the first.
 
The Cardinals, coming off a heartbreaking 79-77 double-overtime setback at the hands of St. Catherine on Wednesday, were embroiled in yet another nail-biting, fight-to-the-finish Saturday against Concordia.
 
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, like the Wildcats before them, the Cobbers came up with the big plays down the stretch, scoring 10 of the game's final 14 points to hand Saint Mary's a 76-71 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback Saturday at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
Concordia had the upper hand through the game's opening 10 minutes, scoring the first five points of the quarter, and building leads as big as 10, 15-5, before settling for a four-point, 22-18 cushion heading into the second quarter.
 
Saint Mary's used a quarter-opening 10-4 burst — with all 10 points coming from Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) — to take its first lead of the game, 28-26. Concordia, however, had an answer, ending the quarter by scoring 13 of the final 18 points for a 39-33 lead at the intermission.
 
Saint Mary's once again clawed its way back, regaining the lead 41-39 on a Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.) 3-pointer. The Cardinals would build their lead to as many as four, 56-52, and held a two-point, 56-54 lead after three quarters of play.
 
The Cardinals continued to hold the upper hand through the first eight minutes of the final stanza, but over the game's last 1:55, Concordia took control, using a 7-0 run to grab a 73-67 lead with 34.2 seconds to play. Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) nailed a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to three, 73-70, but CC hit three of four free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
 
Vesel enjoyed a career day in the losing effort, scoring 28 points — three more than her previous career best. The sophomore went 8-for-16 from the field with three 3-pointers, while adding a 9 of 11 effort from the free throw line. Paulson and Patterson each chipped in 10 points for Saint Mary's, which shot 40 percent from the field (24-for-60) and was 13-for-17 from the free throw line.
 
Mary Sem netted a team-best 17 points, while Autumn Thompson and Emily Beseman added 14 and 13 points, respectively for the Cobbers — who went 29-for-62 from the field (46.2 percent) and were 9 of 15 from the charity stripe.
 
The Cardinals (0-3 MIAC, 0-5 overall) are back on their home court on Wednesday, playing host to Macalester in a 7 p.m. MIAC contest. The Cobbers (0-3 MIAC, 2-6 overall) return home to Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn., on Wednesday, entertaining Carleton in a 7 p.m. conference clash.