WINONA, Minn. - The Saint Mary's women's basketball team (3-4) faced off against College of Saint Benedict (7-1) tonight in a tightly contested matchup between conference opponents. The Cardinals struggled with free throw shooting down the stretch, ultimately falling 68-62.
 
The Cardinals came out firing, hitting five of six three-pointers in the first quarter. It all began with strong defense, as freshman Julia Koch stole the ball on the first possession, setting up fellow freshman Rylie Sternquist for the first basket. Sternquist followed up with back-to-back steals, leading to two three-pointers by junior point guard Lindsey Lettner. Freshman Brianna Nusbaum joined in, knocking down a three, and Breacia Carter came off the bench to hit her first shot attempt from beyond the arc.

The Cardinals were ahead by seven after the hot shooting in that quarter, 22-15.
 
After the hot shooting to begin the game, both teams' offense slowed in the second quarter. The Cardinals managed just six points, while the Bennies scored nine. Freshman Emma Mann hit the opening three, but both teams went cold after that. Kali Olson and Julia Koch were the only other players to score in the quarter.
 
Despite the cold shooting, the Cardinals held on to a four-point lead at halftime, 28-24.
 
Koch and Nusbaum scored the opening baskets of the second half, extending the lead, but those would be the only points for the Cardinals in the next five minutes. Senior Alyssa Coleman broke the scoring drought with a basket, marking her first points, as the Cardinals fell behind for the first time, 37-34.
 
Lettner ended the quarter with a personal five-point run, but the Cardinals trailed 46-41 as they entered the final minutes of the game.
 
The Cardinals found themselves facing a 15-point deficit with four minutes remaining, due to missed free throws and turnovers. The Cardinals applied full-court pressure, forcing the Bennies into three turnovers in the backcourt. This allowed the relentless Cardinal defense to narrow the gap and get back into the game.
 
With three minutes left, Sternquist forced a steal and was called for a shooting foul. Nusbaum followed up with another steal and a key defensive stop, then scored four points of her own on isolation plays, driving to the rim.
 
With a minute remaining, the Cardinals had cut the deficit to eight, trailing 65-57.
 
The deficit proved too large for the Cardinals to overcome, as a late steal by Sternquist, her fifth of the night, followed by a pull-up jumper to close the game wasn't enough. The team fell 68-62.
 
Nusbaum led the team with a career-high 17 points and three assists, while Sternquist and Lettner each contributed 14 points.
 
The team returns to action traveling to Texas to take on Hardin-Simmons on Saturday, December 28^th for a 3 p.m. game.