WINONA, Minn. — For the second game in a row, it wasn't the finishing kick that was the problem for the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team — it was getting out of the starting blocks.
 
The Cardinals — coming off a 69-60 loss to Hamline on Wednesday in which they were outscored 22-9 in the first quarter — found themselves in a similar predicament on Saturday against Saint Benedict, as the Bennies raced out to a 20-10 lead after the game's opening 10 minutes.
 
And, unfortunately for the Cardinals, their patented finishing kick — which included a 23-point third quarter — wasn't quite enough, as Saint Mary's dropped a 65-58 decision to the Bennies at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Cardinals struggled early against the Bennies — and before they could get into an offensive rhythm, they were staring at a 12-2 deficit. Back-to-back field goals by Alyssa Coleman (Matteson, Ill.) got SMU within six, 14-8, but CSB would close the quarter on a 6-2 run — including a basket by Olivia Bolly that just beat the buzzer to give the Bennies a 20-10 lead.
 
A 3-pointer by Izzy Goettelman (Winona, Minn.) and a bucket by Katelyn Cruze (Litchfield, Minn.) to open the second quarter pulled Saint Mary's within five, 20-15, but again Saint Benedict would answer, scoring 16 of the final 22 points — including another buzzer-beater, this one a 3-pointer by Sophia Jonas — to give CSB a 15-point, 36-21 cushion at the half.
 
After CSB's Gabby Martin hit one of two free throws to open the third quarter, the Cardinals went to work, draining back-to-back 3-pointers by Graysin Hartjes (Kaukauna, Ill.) and Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) — to cut the Bennies' lead to 10, 37-27.
 
But that was just the beginning.
 
The Cardinals closed the third quarter on an 18-10 run to whittle CSB's lead all the way down to two, 47-45, and got a put-back basket by Cruze to open the fourth to knot the game at 47-47.
 
Unfortunately, the Cardinals could not get over the hump, as CSB scored six unanswered points and outscored Saint Mary's 18-13 in the game's final quarter to seal the victory.
 
Cruze finished with a career-high 14 points to lead the way for the Cardinals, while Goettelman chipped in 13. As a team, SMU shot 41.2 percent from the field (21-for-51) with five 3-pointers, while going 11-for-16 from the free throw line.
 
The Cardinals (2-6 MIAC, 3-8 overall) are back in action on Wednesday, when they travel to Bethel's Robertson Center Gym in Arden Hills, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference matchup against the Royals.
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