ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — In a heart-stopping battle that came down to the final seconds, the Saint Mary's women's basketball team (10-2, 4-1) came up just short in a 70-69 loss to No. 22 Bethel University (9-3, 4-1) Wednesday night at the Robertson Center.
The Cardinals mounted multiple rallies, as many as 17 points, and seized momentum late, but a last-minute bucket by the Royals proved to be the difference in the league matchup.
The Cardinals struck first off the initial jump ball by Ayla Olson, but Bethel quickly answered. Despite strong work on the offensive glass from Olson and Rylie Sternquist, Saint Mary's struggled to find a rhythm early, hitting just 3-of-16 shots in the opening quarter.
Bethel capitalized on turnovers and hot shooting from deep to build a 21-6 advantage after one.
Saint Mary's responded with urgency in the second quarter. Brianna Nusbaum ignited the offense, scoring consistently and helping fuel a 26-point outburst by the Cardinals.
Kali Olson controlled the paint with key rebounds and timely assists, and Hadley Sammons and Nusbaum's back-to-back fast-break layups with 2:37 left capped a dominant stretch that saw Saint Mary's outscore Bethel 26-15 in the period.
By halftime, the Cardinals had clawed back within four, trailing 36-32.
Momentum continued to swing in the third. Nusbaum drilled a three-pointer early, and the Cardinals' defense came alive, forcing turnovers and collecting six steals in the quarter.
Ayla Olson added a clutch three late as Saint Mary's kept the pressure on. Bethel answered with timely baskets to stay ahead, but the Cardinals won the quarter 22-20 and closed within two, 56-54, heading into the final frame.
The fourth quarter delivered the drama.
Olson tied the game at 61 with a strong finish at the rim, and the teams traded blows down the stretch. Hadley Sammons calmly sank two free throws to make it 64-63, setting the stage for a tense final two minutes.
Nusbaum stepped to the line at 1:37 and buried both attempts, giving Saint Mary's a brief 69-68 lead.
Bethel answered just 22 seconds later with a layup by Emily Erickson to reclaim the advantage. The Cardinals called a timeout with eight seconds remaining and had chances in the closing moments, but the final horn sounded with Bethel escaping by a single point, 70-69.
Nusbaum led all scorers with 30 points, her second 30 point game of the season, adding two three-pointers and three steals. Ayla Olson delivered a standout double-double performance with 18 points and 15 rebounds, seven on the offensive end. Sammons chipped in 12 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line and added four steals.
The Cardinals will prepare for their next conference matchup that will prove big as they get set to host No. 25 ranked Concordia-Moorhead on Saturday, Jan. 10, for a 1:00 p.m. tip off in the David R. Thies Arena.
