ST. PETER, Minn. — When the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team took the court Wednesday evening against Gustavus, the Cardinals had not played a game since a Dec. 11 matchup against Bethel — a span of 25 days.
 
And the Cardinals struggled all evening to shake off the rust.
 
Gustavus closed out the first quarter on a 17-3 run and never looked back, dealing the Cardinals an 81-49 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Gus Young Court.
 
Saint Mary's opened the game on the right foot, getting back-to-back field goals from Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Izzy Goettelman (Winona, Minn.) for a quick 4-0 lead, and the Cardinals were still playing with the lead at 9-5 midway through the opening quarter.
 
Over the final five minutes of the quarter, however, Saint Mary's would manage just three points — a Grayson Hartjes (Kaukauna, Wis.) 3-pointer that snapped GAC's 18-0 run and left SMU trailing 25-12 after the opening quarter.
 
And, unfortunately for the Cardinals, things did not get any better over the remaining three quarters.
 
Saint Mary's continued to struggle to find its shooting touch in the second half, managing just nine points, and headed into the locker room staring at a 36-21 deficit at the half.
 
The Cardinals picked up the offensive pace coming out of the break, getting eight points Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) in scoring 18 third-quarter points, only to have the Gusties respond with a 21-point quarter to extend their lead to 18, 57-39, heading into the game's final 10 minutes.
 
Gustavus continued to keep its foot on the accelerator, outscoring the Cardinals 24-10 in the fourth quarter to seal the 32-point win.
 
Paulson finished with a team-high 13 points for the Cardinals, who shot just 30.6 percent from the field (15-for-49) with a season-high 10 3-pointers, and added a 9 of 11 effort from the free throw line. Ashley Streveler (Colby, Wis.) chipped in 11 points for the Cardinals.
 
The Cardinals (2-5 MIAC, 3-7 overall) are back in action on Saturday, when they play host to Carleton in a 1 p.m. conference matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.