DULUTH, Minn. — For the second straight game, the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team could not find its early game rhythm.
Just days after managing seven first-quarter points in a matchup against unbeaten Saint Benedict, the Cardinals recorded a meager 10 points in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown with conference-newcomer St. Scholastica.
Unlike last Wednesday contest against the Bennies — in which Saint Mary's clawed its way back, only to come up three points short in a 59-56 setback — this time around, the Cardinals would not be denied.
Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) and
Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) each scored 18 points, and the Cardinals recovered from a 10-point first quarter and rode a massive 23-point fourth quarter to a 65-57 victory over St. Schiolastica at Reif Gym Saturday afternoon.
As was the case against Saint Benedict, the Cardinals struggled to find their rhythm early against the Saints, hitting on just 3 of 20 field goal attempts and were staring at a six-point, 16-10 deficit after the game's opening 10 minutes. CSS had built its lead to as many as eight in the opening stanza, but a Macy Petron (Royalton, Minn.) bucket late cut the gap to six.
The Cardinals began their climb out of the first-quarter hole they dug themselves in the second quarter, finally pulling even at 28-28, only to have the Saints score the final four points of the quarter to take a four point, 32-28 lead into the halftime break.
The Cardinals continued to chase the Saints coming out of halftime, getting within two twice before Paulson drilled a 3-pointer with 1:11 to play in the third quarter to draw Saint Mary's even, 42-42. Before Miranda Broberg tossed in the final points of the quarter to give CSS a 44-42 lead heading into the fourth and final quarter.
After trailing since a Biermeier bucket early in the first quarter had given SMU a 7-6 lead, the Cardinals completed their comeback, taking the lead for good, 51-50 on another Paulson 3-pointer midway through the quarter.
Saint Mary's would use an 8-0 run to push its lead to a game-high 10, 63-53 with 1:57 to play, and the Cardinals held on for the eight-point win.
Izzy Goettelman (Winona, Minn.) joined Biermeier and Paulson in double figures, tossing in 12 points for the Cardinals, who shot just 28.4 percent from the field (19-for-67) — but knocked down 24 of 33 free throws en route to their third win of the season. The Cardinals' 24 made free throws on 33 attempts were the most since SMU went 25-for-35 against Macalester on Feb. 10, 2018
After back-to-back road games, the Cardinals (2-3 MIAC, 3-4 overall) return home on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. conference matchup against St. Olaf at the Saint Mary's Gym.
