ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — Wednesday marked another chapter in the 2022-23 season for the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team.
 
Unfortunately — despite a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback that included a clutch 3-pointer by Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) that gave SMU a 59-58 lead with five seconds remaining in regulation — this chapter ended with the same heartbreak that the last two had.
 
Kendal Cox knocked down two free throws with two seconds remaining in regulation, as the Royals survived a 20-8 Saint Mary's run over the game's final 10 minutes to deal the Cardinals a 60-59 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Robertson Center Gym.
 
Saint Mary's struggled to find its rhythm early, going 0-for-6 from the field over the first six minutes of the opening quarter – and were staring at a 6-2 deficit. Bethel pushed its lead to as many as nine, 18-9, before Katelyn Cruze (Litchfield, Minn.) beat the buzzer with a field goal to get SMU within seven, 18-11 heading into the second quarter.
 
BU opened the second frame the same way it began the first — knocking down a quick 3-pointer — and built what appeared to be a commanding 26-11 lead. SMU, however, had other ideas, scoring nine unanswered points to whittle the BU lead to six, 29-23. BU answered by scoring seven of the final 11 points of the half to take a nine-point, 36-27 advantage into the halftime intermission.
 
Ashley Streveler (Colby, Wis.) knocked down a 3-pointer coming out of the break to get Saint Mary's within six, 36-30, but the Cardinals would get no closer, and found themselves staring at a 13-point, 52-39 deficit heading into the game's final 10-minute quarter.
 
And just as they did against Hamline last Wednesday and vs. Saint Benedict on Saturday — cutting double-digit fourth-quarter deficits into edge-of-your-seat nail-biters, only to fall just short both times — the Cardinals went to work chipping away at BU's 13-point cushion.
 
Fueled by a 13-1 run, Saint Mary's clawed all the way back to even, 56-56, on a pair of Maddie Wall (Cameron, Wis.) free throws with 1:49 to play. Emma Schultz answered with a layup to put the Royals back in front, 58-56, but with the clock ticking down, Paulson drilled what appeared to be the game-winning 3-pointer with five seconds to play to put Saint Mary's back in front 59-58.
 
Unfortunately, Cox was fouled on the Royals' final possession and drained both free throws with two seconds on the clock to sneak away with the one-point win.
 
Paulson and Streveler each finished with 17 points to pace the Cardinals, who shot 41.9 percent from the field (18-for-43), with eight 3-pointers, and went 15 of 23 from the free throw line. Bethel, meanwhile, finished 15 of 56 from the field (26.8 percent) with nine 3-pointers and a 21 of 28 effort from the line. Courtney Nuest scored 17 points and added 11 rebounds for the Royals
 
The Cardinals (2-7 MIAC, 3-9 overall) are back in action on Saturday, when they travel to Duluth, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference matchup against St. Scholastica.
  Read Full Article