By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Rewind to Nov. 26—six days ago.
 
The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball found itself staring at a 10-0 deficit to open its nonconference game against UW-Eau Claire—a deficit the Cardinals could not overcome in falling to the Blugolds 71-57.
 
Fast-forward to Saturday afternoon.
 
The Cardinals found themselves in an eerily familiar situation, surrendering the game's first seven points, and trailing 12-2 before the midway point of the opening quarter.
 
And, for the second time in less than a week, the Cardinals could not completely recover from that slow start, as Augsburg held off every Saint Mary's comeback attempt in dealing SMU a 69-59 setback in the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener at Si Melby Hall.
 
Despite the early deficit, the Cardinals would claw their way back with a 10-0 run of their own, tying the game at 12-12 on a layup by Hallie Schelling (Onalaska, Wis.) with 1:28 remaining in the quarter.
 
Augsburg, however, would use a 9-5 quarter-ending run to take a four-point, 21-17 lead after the game's opening 10 minutes.
 
The game remained close through the first four minutes of quarter No. 2, with Augsburg clinging to a one-point, 27-26 lead. The Auggies quickly turned that one-point advantage into a 10-point cushion—scoring 11 of the final 13 points of the half to take a 38-28 lead into the locker room at the break.
 
Saint Mary's came to life in the third quarter, pulling to within four twice, 44-40 and 44-48, only to have Augsburg close the quarter on a 5-2 run to grab a seven-point, 53-46 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
The Cardinals mounted one final comeback bid, whittling the Auggie lead down to three, 61-58, with just over two minutes remaining in regulation—only to have Augsburg rattle off eight unanswered points to ice the win.
 
Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.)—who scored 14 first-half points to account for half of the Cardinals' 28-point first-half offense—finished with a season-high 27 points and added a seasons-best 15 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) and Claire Patterson (Marine, Minn.) each chipped in nine points, while Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) post3ed five points and a career-best 10 rebounds.
 
Augsburg got double-doubles from Camryn Speese (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Tamira McLemore (13 points, 10 rebounds), and 16 points from K'Aezha Wubben.
 
The Cardinals (0-1 MIAC, 4-3 overall) are back in action—and back on the road—on Wednesday, traveling to Northfield, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference matchup against Carleton.