NORTHFIELD, Minn. — Now that's what you can a "bounce-back."
 
The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team, coming off a disappointing 73-29 loss to Bethel last Saturday, regained its offensive swagger Monday evening – in a very big way.
 
Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) — limited to just two points against the Royals — poured in 25 points and the Cardinals used a 12-4 run to end the fourth quarter in pulling away for a 66-57 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over St. Olaf Monday evening at the Skoglund Center Gym.
 
For the second time in as many games, the Cardinals finished the game's opening 10 minutes having scored 13 points.
 
This time around, however, Saint Mary's followed that 13-point showing with an even more impressive performance, scoring 19 second-quarter points — while holding the Oles to just eight — to grab a 32-28 halftime advantage.
 
Saint Mary's would push that lead to as many as 12, 47-35, with just over three minutes to play in the third quarter, before settling for a six-point, 47-41 lead heading into the game's final 10 minutes.
 
St. Olaf came out firing to open the fourth, scoring the first eight points — including back-to-back 3-pointers to kick off the quarter — to take a 49-47 advantage. The Oles would lead twice more over the final 10 minutes — 51-50 and 54-53 — but the Cardinals would close the quarter outscoring St. Olaf 12-4 to seal the victory.
 
Paulson was virtually unstoppable for the Cardinals, going 8-for-20 from the field with five 3-pointers and a 4-for-4 effort from the free throw line en route to her game-high 25 points — 17 of which came in the first half. The senior also hauled in 11 rebounds in recording her fourth double-double of the season.
 
Ashley Streveler (Colby, Wis.) and Jada Biermeier (Eau Claire, Wis.) each chipped in nine points and Macy Petron (Royalton, Minn.) added eight for the Cardinals, who shot 36.1 percent from the field (22-for-61) with 10 3-pointers and a 12 of 15 showing from the charity striple.
 
The Cardinals (6-12 MIAC, 7-14 overall) are back on the road for a third straight game on Wednesday, as SMU heads to Augsburg's Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown with the league-leading Auggies.
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