ST. PETER, Minn. — It wasn't quite the season-opener Saint Mary's University women's basketball coach David Foley had envisioned.
 
Gustavus erupted 13 unanswered points late in the first quarter, and the Gusties never took their foot off the accelerator, pulling away for an 85-45 victory over the Cardinals in the teams' MIAC-opener Saturday afternoon at Gus Young Court.
 
The Cardinals came out firing, scoring four of the game's first six points on field goals by Izzy Goettelman (Winona, Minn.) and Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) and trailed by just one, 8-7 with 4:07 to play in the opening quarter. From there, however, Gustavus took control, pouring in 13 consecutive points to open a 21-7 advantage. Goettelman drained a 3-pointer late in the frame to cut the deficit to 21-10 after 10 minutes of play.
 
And, unfortunately for the Cardinals, Gustavus picked up right where it left off, scoring 13 of the first 16 points — the lone SMU points coming on an Ashley Streveler (Colby, 5-Wis.) 3-pointer — to open the second quarter, expanding the lead to 21 with 6:31 to go until halftime. Saint Mary's whittled the lead to 13 on a Paulson field goal with 1:28 to go, but GAC close the half with seven straight points for a 47-27 lead at the break.
 
The Cardinals were able to cut the deficit to 16 late in the third quarter, before heading to the game's final 10-minute period staring at a 17-point, 61-44 deficit.
 
And as good as the Gusties were in the first three quarters, they were even better in the fourth, scoring the quarter's first nine points — and outscoring SMU 24-1 — en route to their third win in as many games this season.
 
Goettelman and Paulson led the way for the Cardinals, scoring 17 and 15 points, respectively. The duo accounted for 32 of Saint Mary's 45 points, with Goettelman going 6 of 13 from the field with three 3-pointers and a 2-for-2 showing from the line, while Paulson finished 5-for-10 with one trey and a 4 of 6 effort from the free throw line.
 
The Cardinals (0-1 MIAC, 0-1 overall) are back in action on Tuesday, when they travel to Macalester's Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference showdown with the Scots.
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