NORTHFIELD, Minn. — When the Saint Mary's University and St. Olaf women's basketball teams met for the first of their two conference games last season, the Cardinals rallied from a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Oles 62-60.
 
Fast forward to Saturday afternoon, when the Cardinals and Oles were meeting for the first of their two MIAC matchups this season — and Saint Mary's was once again staring at a 19-point deficit heading into the game's final 10 minutes.
 
And with just under a minute to play in regulation, that nearly 20-point deficit had been whittled down to nine.
 
This time around, however, Saint Mary's furious fourth-quarter rally would come up short, as St. Olaf held off the hard-charging Cardinals, 74-64 at Skoglund Center Gym.
 
After falling behind early in each of its last three games, the Cardinals knew the importance of getting off on the right foot against the Oles.
 
Grace Schaffer (Farmington, Minn.) carried the hot hand for the Cardinals right out of the gate, delivering a field goal, a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer to propel SMU its early, four-point 10-6 lead. Unfortunately, by the time Schaffer knocked down her second 3-pointer of the quarter, with 1:42 to play, SMU's four-point lead had transformed into a five-point, 18-13 deficit.
 
The Oles would close out the first quarter by knocking down a pair of field goals, and opened the second stanza with nine unanswered points to extend their lead over the Cardinals to 18, 31-13.
 
And while the St. Olaf offense was doing its part at one end of the court, the Ole defense was making life miserable for the Cardinals at the other, as St. Olaf limited SMU to just four made free throws in the 10-minute quarter and took a 37-17 lead into the locker room at the half.
 
After going 0-for-13 from the field in the second quarter, the Cardinals found some offensive rhythm in the third, scoring more points in that 10-minute span than they had in the first two quarters combined — holding an 18-17 advantage over the Oles — but still found themselves staring at a 19-point, 54-35 deficit heading into the fourth quarter.
 
And the Cardinals put on their rally caps and went to work in the fourth quarter, slowly chipping away at the Ole lead, and, after a Schaffer field goal with 29 ticks on the clock, SMU was within seven, 69-62.
 
That would be as close as the Cardinals would get, as St. Olaf knocked down three of four free throw attempts down the stretch to seal the 10-point victory.
 
Schaffer finished with a career-high 23 points, going 8 of 16 from the field with one 3-pointer, and adding a 12-for-2 showing from the free throw line. Izzy Goettelman (Winona, Minn.) chipped in 18 points and Katelyn Cruze (Litchfield, Minn.) added eight for the Cardinals, who shot 35.5 percent from the field (22-for-62) with six 3-pointers and a 14 of 25 effort from the free throw line.
 
The Cardinals (0-4 MIAC, 2-4 overall) are right back in action on Monday, when they return home to the Saint Mary's Gym for a 3:30 p.m. matinee against Concordia.
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