ST. PAUL, Minn. — Any more games like Saturday's, and Saint Mary's University women's basketball coach David Foley may have a few more gray hairs on his head.
 
The Cardinals appeared to have Saturday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Hamline wrapped up with a neat bow twice in the second half — leading by as many as 12 in the third quarter and by nine with just over four minutes remaining in regulation.
 
Yet, it was a pair of free throws in the waning seconds by Ewelina Schlomann (New Berlin, Wis.) — with SMU leading by just one — that secured the Cardinals' 72-69 victory over the Pipers at Hutton Arena.
 
Leading by two at the half, 28-26, the Cardinals rode the hot shooting of Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) early in the third quarter, building its lead to 12, 42-30, on a Paulson 3-pointer — and it appeared as if the Saint Mary's would be able to put it on cruise control the rest of the way.
 
Not quite — not by a long shot.
 
Hamline closed the quarter by scoring 19 of the quarter's final 27 points to trim the Cardinal lead to just one, 50-49, heading into the game's final 10-minute period.
 
After giving up the first four points of the fourth quarter, the Cardinals' regained their shooting touch, using a 16-4 burst to claim a 66-57 cushion with 4:18 to play. Once again, however, the lead was anything but safe, as HU cut the deficit to one, 70-69 on a Gabby Robinson 3-point play.
 
Enter Schlomann, who was found on the inbounds and calming sank both free throws — 10th and 11th points of the game — to ice the win for the Cardinals.
 
It was a tale of momentum swings through the game's first two quarters, as Hamline dominated the opening 10-minute period — scoring the game's first five points, and, after Saint Mary's responded with a 9-0 burst, rattled off 11 of the final 17 points for an 18-15 advantage.
 
And in the second quarter, it was the Cardinals who had the upper hand, opening the quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 24-22 lead and outscoring HU 13-8 overall in owning a two-point, 28-26 lead at the break.
 
Maggie Robertson (Orland Park, Ill.)scored a team-high 14 points, while Paulson delivered her first collegiate double-double with 13 points and 11 boards — with all 13 points coming in the second half, including 11 in the third quarter. Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) delivered 12 points and Schlomann tossed in 11, while Isabel Bettag (Maple Park, Ill.) pulled down a single-game career-high 11 rebounds.
  
The Cardinals shot 42.9 percent from the field (24-for-56) and were 17 of 25 from the free throw line (68.0 percent), while Hamline — which was led by Jaiden Kline's 20-point, 10-rebound double-double — went 23-for-61 from the field (37.7 percent) and were 21-for-24 from the line (87.5 percent).
 
The Cardinals (1-3 MIAC, 2-3 overall) are back in action on Tuesday, when they return home to the Saint Mary's Gym for a 7 p.m. conference matchup against Augsburg