By EMILY LOOF
Saint Mary's Sports Information Intern
 
WINONA, Minn. — On Sunday afternoon, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team was unable to overcome an early deficit.
 
The tables were turned Wednesday night at the Saint Mary's Gym, as the Cardinals enjoyed a 20-point first quarter and never looked back, cruising to a 76-53 nonconference win over St. Scholastica.
 
Abby Winter (Winona, Minn.) opened the scoring with a 3-pointer on the first Cardinal possession, and scored another basket less than a minute later to put the Cardinals ahead by five. In fact—unlike Sunday's contest against UW-Eau Claire, in which the Blugolds scored the game's first 10 points—the Cardinals scored the game's first eight points en route to their 20-point first quarter and a commanding 20-7 advantage.
 
The Saints came storming back in the second quarter, sparked by a 9-0 run that included two three-point plays off Cardinal fouls. St. Scholastica eventually shrunk the Cardinal lead to just five points, 31-26, but two timely free throws by Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.) and a basket at the buzzer by Winter allowed the Cardinals to head into the locker room at halftime ahead by nine, 36-25.
 
The Cardinals again found their stride in the third quarter, beginning with six unanswered points and holding the Saints scoreless for nearly four minutes. While the Saints nipped at the Cardinals' heels, the home team posted 15 points in the third frame, regaining their 13-point cushion, 51-38, heading into the game's final 10 minutes.
 
That lead would only grow, as the Cardinals scored 13 unanswered points to open the final quarter, keeping the Saints off the board until they sank a free throw with 5:03 left in regulation. A string of late 3-pointers by the Saints threatened to narrow the lead, but the Cardinals held strong, thanks in part to two timely baskets by Brittney Flom (Kenyon, Minn.).  
 
Winter scored a new career high in her first year in a Cardinal uniform, finishing with 15 points—four more than her previous high—and added a team-best nine rebounds, while Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) provided yet another strong performance, knocking down a game-high 25 points, just three shy of her collegiate best.
 
Savannah Bleess (Kenyon, Minn.) also contributed 11 points for the Cardinals, while Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) led the way with a team-best six assists.
 
The Saints were led by Holly Vankampen, who had 21 points, and Kaylee Kennedy, who followed with 14.
 
The Cardinals (4-2 overall) begin Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as they travel to Minneapolis, Minn., for a 3 p.m. matchup against Augsburg at Si Melby Hall.