By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team had to put in a little extra work, but in the end, the outcome was worth the wait.
 
The Cardinals survived a 30-point Gustavus third quarter and outscored the Gusties 17-8 in the five-minute extra session, as Saint Mary's closed out the home portion of its schedule in winning fashion — posting a 75-66 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference overtime victory Wednesday at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
Gustavus was in a giving mood in the first half — and the defensive-minded Cardinals were were more than reception.
 
The Cardinals forced Gustavus into more turnovers (16) as the Gusties had first-half points (12), as Saint Mary's held a 16-10 lead after the game's opening 10 minutes, and boasted a commanding 26-12 advantage at the break.
 
The Cardinals knocked down the game's first four points on a pair of Ewelina Schlomann (New Berlin, Wis.) field goals — and never relinquished the lead through the game's first 20 minutes.
 
After leading by as many as five three times in the first quarter, Saint Mary's grabbed its biggest lead of the frame, 16-10 on a Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) free throw with 1:18 to play.
 
The Cardinals would take that six-point advantage into the second quarter, where Saint Mary's defense was at its best — holding the Gusties to just one field goal — a Megan Mettler layup with 6:57 to play.
 
And the Cardinals would take advantage, outscoring GAC 10-2 in that second 10-minute stanza to push their lead to 14, 26-12 at the break.
 
A break that seemed to energize the visiting Gusties, who erupted for 30 points in the third quarter — while holding Saint Mary's to just 13 — as Gustavus grabbed a three-point, 42-39 lead heading into the game's final 10 minutes.
 
With the score deadlocked at 52-52 midway through the quarter, Gustavus used a 6-4 surge to grab — capped by a three-point play by Maddy Rice — for a 58-56 lead with 9.8 seconds remaining. Vesel was found on the Cardinals' next possession, and the sophomore calmly knocked down both free throws to send the game into overtime.
 
The Cardinals scored the first eight points of the overtime period and never looked back, collecting their second straight victory and third win in their last four games.
 
Vesel closed out the game with a game-high 27 points on 11 of 20 shooting from the field and a 5-for-6 effort from the free throw line. Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) chipped in 16 points, and Schlomann delivered her first collegiate double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Cardinals shot 47.4 percent from the field (27-for-57) with seven 3-pointers and went 14 of 16 from the free throw line, while the Gusties were 23-for-67 (34.3 percent) from the field — including just 9 of 30 from behind the arc — and finished 11-for-14 from the free throw line.
 
Anna Sanders scored 18 points to pace the Gusties, with Rice adding 13 points and Caitlin Roman pitching in 11.
 
The Cardinals (5-14 MIAC, 5-19 overall) close out their regular-season schedule on the road on Saturday, heading to St. Thomas' Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference matchup against the Tommies. The Gusties (13-6 MIAC, 17-7 overall), who have already locked up one of the six MIAC Tournament berths, close out the regular-season schedule on the road on Saturday, heading to Augsburg's Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference tilt.