By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — When the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team took the court Monday evening, it marked the second time in a span of six days that the Cardinals squared off against Saint Benedict.
 
The Bennies got the better of the Cardinals the first time around, grabbing an 18-6 first-quarter lead and never relinquishing it in dealing Saint Mary's a 62-49 conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
And, unfortunately for Saint Mary's, the second go-around ended in much the same fashion as the first — with the Cardinals scoring 49 points and the Bennies walking off the court with a victory.
 
Saint Benedict scored the final seven points of the second quarter — and the first three of the third — and the Bennies held the Cardinals at bay down the stretch in dealing Saint Mary's a 59-49 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at CSB's Claire Lynch Hall.
 
The Cardinals got off to a rocky start, surrendering the game's first five points — and found themselves trailing 11-5 after the game's opening 10 minutes.
 
Saint Mary's found its shooting touch in the second quarter, pulling even, 14-14, midway through the frame, before taking its first lead, 17-16 on a 3-pointer by XXXX with 3:56 to play. The Cardinals pushed their advantage to three, 22-19, but CSB rattled off seven unanswered points to close out the half and take a four-point, 26-22 advantage into the locker room at the break.
 
The Bennies outscored the Cardinals 10-8 in the third quarter — with neither team able to knock down a field goal over the final 2:23 of the period — to push their lead to six, 36-30 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Saint Mary's clawed its way to within four, 45-41 with 6:17 to play in regulation, but the Cardinals would manage just eight points the rest of the way, as Saint Benedict closed the quarter on a 14-8 run to seal the home victory.
 
Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) scored a team-high nine points for the Cardinals — who shot 34.0 percent from the field (18-for-53), but were just 5 of 21 from behind the 3-point line (23.8 percent). Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.) and Caily Landers (Palos Heights, Ill.) each finished with eight points, and Ashley Streveler (Colby, Wis.) chipped in seven for the Cardinals.
 
Sidney Schiffler tossed in a game-high 16 points and Maddie Schmitz finished with 12 for the Bennies, who went 18-for-50 (36 percent) from the field with five 3-pointers, while tossing in 18 of 24 free throw attempts.
 
The Cardinals (1-9 MIAC, 1-14 overall) hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to St. Catherine's Butler Center in St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Wildcats. The Bennies (4-6 MIAC, 8-7 overall), meanwhile, return to action Wednesday, traveling to Concordia's Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference tilt with the Cobbers.