WINONA, Min. — Bringing the heat was no problem for the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team, as they lit up the court in dominating fashion Saturday afternoon..
The Cardinals grabbed the early lead and never relinquished it as they handed St. Scholastica an 83-69 thumping ina Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
A 3-pointer from
Ashley Streveler (Colby, Wis.) started the scoring spree for the Cardinals, who quickly racked up the points against the Saints.
Graysin Hartjes (Kaukauna, Wis.) notched an impressive 10 points to close out the first quarter, increasing the SMU lead to 25-17.
The Cardinals' eight\-point lead would continue to climb in the second quarter.
Brooklyn Paulson (Holmen, Wis.) would knock down a jumper with two minutes remaining to give SMU a 15-point advantage. The Saints were only able to close their deficit by two over the final two minus, as the half came to a close with Saint Mary's boasting a 46-33 lead.
And if the Saints were hoping the break would slow down the Cardinals, those hopes were quickly dashed.
The Cardinals continued to light up the floor in the third quarter. Saint Mary's took advantage of a mid-quarter, 14-0 run — capped by a Paulson 3-pointer — to claim a hefty 26-point lead, 63-37, late in the quarter.. SMU closed the quarter leading by 23, 67-44.
The Saints trimmed the deficit to 12 in the fourth quarter, but that would be the closest they would get, as the Cardinals cruised to the 83-69 domination.
Paulson led the team with 21 points and added a career-high 17 rebounds, followed by Streveler with 20 points and Hartjes with 15 — her career high as a Cardinal. Paulson's 17 rebounds mark her best effort in an SMU uniform — and were the most by a Cardinal since Brandi Blattner's 20-rebound showing on Feb. 10, 2018.
SMU's 83 points, meanwhile, were a season-best and their highest output since beating Carleton 85-58 on Jan. 8, 2022.
The Cardinals (6-12 MIAC, 7-14 overall) will next hit the road as they battle Augsburg in Minneapolis, Minn. on Wednesday, Feb. 8 for a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup.
