WINONA, Minn.  — After erupting for a season-high 85 points — including a whopping 34 in the second quarter alone — en route to an 85-58 victory in their most recent outing last Saturday, the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team returned to the court Monday to square off against league-leading Augsburg.
 
Unfortunately for Saint Mary's, the Cardinals could have used a few of those excess points from Saturday's rout — eight to be exact — as Augsburg outlasted SMU 56-49 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Auggies' Selena Lor knocked down a 3-pointer to kick things off in the opening quarter, and Augsburg would lead throughout the game's first 10 minutes, building its lead to as many as five, 11-6 with 4:35 to play.
 
A Graysin Hartjes (Kaukauna, Wis.) 3-pointer and a Macy Petron (Royalton, Minn.) free throw got Saint Mary's within one, 11-10, but Augsburg netted the final three points of the quarter for a 14-10 lead.
 
The Auggies scored five of the first six points to open the second quarter to push their lead to eight, 19-11 with 7:33 on the clock. Over the next 7:32, Augsburg managed just two points, while the Cardinals — behind seven points from Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) — scored nine to whittle the Augsburg lead to one, 21-20, with just over a minute to play.
 
Jaley Coplin gave the Auggies a bit of breathing room, beating the halftime buzzer with a 3-point bomb from well behind the 3-point line to make it a four-point, 24-20 Augsburg lead at the break.
 
Paulson ended the first half with a team-leading seven points, while Hartjes chipped in five. Saint Mary's struggled to find its rhythm in the first half, making just 6 of 25 field goals attempts — including a 2-for-11 showing from behind the arc — while committing 12 turnovers. Fortunately for the Cardinals, the Auggies were equally as ice-cold from the field, going 10-for-33 — and a woeful 2 of 13 from 3-point land — while turning the ball over six times.
 
The Cardinals once again cut the deficit to one early in the third quarter — capped by a driving layup by Goettelman to get within 26-25 — before finally taking their first lead of the game, 27-26 on a pair of Paulson free throws with 7:33 to play in the quarter.
 
A three-point play by Maggie Newhouse (Owatonna, Minn.) and a free throw by Paulson gave Saint Mary's a 31-28 edge, but Augsburg responded by scoring 12 of the next 14 points to regain a five-point, 40-33 advantage. Single free throws by Paulson and Hartjes and a 3-point bomb by Goettelman got the Cardinals within two, 40-38, heading into the game's final 10 minutes.
 
Saint Mary's cut the deficit to two twice in the fourth quarter, and trailed by just four, 51-47, with a minute to play, but a turnover and a pair of missed 3-pointers in three of their final four possessions allowed the Auggies to pull away for the seven-point win.
 
Paulson led the Cardinals' offense, scoring 15 points and adding 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Biermeier chipped in 12 points for Saint Mary's, which finished 14-for-53 (26.4 percent) from the field — including a 3 of 24 showing from the 3-point line — while hitting on 18 of 25 attempts from the free throw line.
 
The Cardinals (3-6 MIAC, 4-8 overall) are right back on their home court on Wednesday, as they welcome St. Catherine to the Saint Mary's Gym for a 7 p.m. conference contest.