DECORAH, Iowa — The Saint Mary's University women's basketball team (9-1, 3-0 MIAC) battled past Luther College (5-5, 1-1 American Rivers), 68–65, in a hard-fought contest Tuesday night at Birkestrand Family Court. After trailing at halftime, the Cardinals flipped the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Norse 25–12 and turning defense into offense with 20 points off turnovers.
Saint Mary's also made the most of its chances at the line, knocking down 21 of 29 free throws to seal the road win.
The Cardinals set the tone defensively early, highlighted by a steal from Brianna Nusbaum at the 9:39 mark of the opening quarter, but struggled to find a consistent offensive rhythm.
Luther controlled much of the first quarter by attacking inside, building a small cushion.
Saint Mary's responded late with a three-pointer from Rylie Sternquist and a pair of free throws by Nusbaum, trimming the deficit, but still trailed 16–12 after one.
Saint Mary's opened the second quarter with renewed energy as Julia Koch scored on a layup and Hadley Sammons connected from beyond the arc, with Ayla Olson providing the assist, to pull within three.
The Cardinals continued to chip away behind baskets from Olson, including a layup and two free throws, but Luther answered with timely scoring, capped by a key three from Lexi Thomas.
The Norse carried a 33–23 lead into the break.
The game shifted dramatically in the third quarter. Kali Olson jumpstarted the Cardinals with a pair of free throws, followed shortly by a layup from Lindsey Lettner off an assist from Olson.
Sternquist and Ayla Olson added to the surge as Saint Mary's applied pressure defensively and capitalized on turnovers. Olson's layup late in the quarter gave the Cardinals their first lead of the night, and Sammons followed with a clutch three to extend the advantage.
Saint Mary's closed the quarter ahead 48–45 after a dominant 25-point frame.
The Cardinals continued to push in the fourth, with Koch drilling a key three-pointer to make it 53–49 midway through the quarter. Luther stayed within striking distance, but Saint Mary's answered each challenge with timely baskets and steady free-throw shooting.
Ayla Olson's layup with under two minutes remaining helped maintain the edge as the Cardinals held on down the stretch to secure the 68–65 victory.
Ayla Olson led Saint Mary's with a double-double, finishing with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 10 rebounds. Sternquist added 13 points and nine rebounds while going a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line.
The Cardinals will enjoy a week of holiday break before heading to North Dakota to take on DI North Dakota State University for an exhibition at 5:00 p.m on Monday, Dec. 29!
