WINONA, MINN. - The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team certainly knows how to entertain.

The Cardinals hosted the UW-Stevens Point in their final home game before the new year. The game featured multiple lead changes, overtime and last second shots, keeping fans on their toes every step of the way. Unfortunately, the game did not feature a Saint Mary's win. Though the Cardinals rallied in the fourth to force overtime, they were unable to come away with a victory, falling to the Pointers in overtime by a final score of 81-79. With the loss, Saint Mary's record now stands at 2-5 overall.

The Cardinals struggled offensively in the first 10 minutes of play, as they shot .231 from the floor, and were just 1-6 from three point range. UW-Stevens Point, on the flip side, shot .400 from the floor in the opening quarter, allowing the Pointers to hold an 18-7 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. 

Saint Mary's righted the ship in the second quarter, outscoring UW-Stevens Point 21-13 to cut the Pointers lead to 31-28 by halftime. Izzy Goettelman (Winona, Minn.) led the charge for the Cardinals, scoring 11 points on 5-7 shooting in the first two quarters alone. Saint Mary's defense also stepped up big time in the second quarter. Though the Pointers still shot .400 from the floor, they were just 1-6 from three-point range, and scored zero points off turnovers or fastbreaks in the second quarter. 

Saint Mary's, particularly Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.), came to life in the third quarter, as the Cardinals jumped out to a 55-49 lead over UW-Stevens Point. The turning point came just one minute in, as Graysin Hartjes (Kaukauna, Wis.) hit her second three of the night to even the score at 31-31 before Paulson gave Saint Mary's a definitive lead. The senior drained a three from the top of the key, giving the Cardinals their first lead of the night at 34-31. They never looked back, as Goettelman and Paulson continued to make baskets, securing a 55-49 lead for Saint Mary's with 10 minutes remaining in regulation. 

The fourth quarter proved to be the most exciting of the evening, as it featured a handful of lead changes and a brilliant last second shot to force overtime. Early on, though, the Cardinals were rolling, as they opened the quarter with a scoring run to push their lead to 58-49. However, the Pointers slowly but surely started chipping away at Saint Mary's lead, using a scoring run of their own to tie the game at 62-62 with 2:31 remaining in regulation. From there, neither team could truly gain a lead or momentum, until UW-Stevens Point took a seemingly commanding 70-65 lead with 20 seconds remaining in the game. 

That's when the magic happened.

After the Pointers Gabby Gawlitta drained two free throws to give her team a five-point advantage, Saint Mary's marched right down the court, allowing Ashley Streveler (Colby, Wis.) to pull the team within two with a huge three-pointer from the wing. Still, with only seconds remaining in regulation, the Cardinals had no choice but to foul, sending UW-Stevens Point Courtney Krueger to the line with 14 seconds left. Krueger made the first free throw, missed the second, meaning Saint Mary's had one shot to tie the game at 71-71. 

The Cardinals rose to the occasion, and a hero emerged to send the game to OT. The Pointer defense left first year guard Grace Schaffer (Farmington, Minn.) beyond the arc, and the first year did not throw away her shot. With 10 seconds remaining, she heaved the ball at the net and watched it fall through, sending the game to overtime with the score deadlocked at 71-71. 

Saint Mary's managed to keep pace with UW-Stevens Point in overtime, as the two teams traded leads and free throws throughout the extra five minutes. The Pointers, though, took a lead with exactly 59 seconds remaining in the extra period, holding the slimmest 81-79 lead. The Cardinals were unable to answer, despite their best efforts, falling by a final score of 81-79. 

Goettelman led Saint Mary's in scoring, as she scored a season and career-high 23 points on 8-11 shooting, with seven assists and five rebounds. Paulson and Hartjes also scored in double-figures, tallying 18 and 11 points, respectively, while Katelyn Cruz (Litchfield, Minn.) led the team with 10 rebounds. 

The Cardinals will return to action on Thursday, December 29, as they are set to compete in the 2022 Music City Classic in Nashville, Tennessee. Saint Mary's will open the tournament with a 10:30 a.m. CT tip against Penn State Behrend on Thursday before taking on MIT at 2:30 p.m. CT on Friday.