WINONA, Minn. — If Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball coach Brent Pollari could have cloned the Cardinals' performance in the second half of Wednesday's game against second-ranked and unbeaten St. Thomas, the Cardinal might very well have handed the Tommies their first loss of the season.
 
Unfortunately, as good as the second half was for the Cardinals, the first half was just as forgettable, as Saint Mary's managed just 19 first-half points, as St. Thomas raced out to a 22-7 lead after the first quarter, and took a 41-19 lead into the locker room at the break en route to a 77-66 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Cardinals actually scored four of the game's first six points, but by the time Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:16 remaining in the opening quarter, St. Thomas had rattled off 16 unanswered points and closed out the quarter on a 20-3 run to grab the commanding 22-7 advantage.
 
And it was more of the same over the game's second 10-minute period, as St. Thomas used an 11-0 run to push its lead to 35-9, before settling for the 22-point, 41-19 lead at the break.
 
The Cardinals' offense showed signs of life in the second half, scoring 20 third-quarter points—and erupting for 27 in the four quarter, where they outscored UST 27-13—but it was too little, too late.
 
Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) scored a team-high 17 points for the Cardinals—who shot 46 percent from the field (26-for-56), but were just 4 of 18 from behind the 3-point line. Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) and Sam Jones (White Bear Lake, Minn.) also scored in double figures for the Cardinals, finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Kaitlin Langer scored a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Tommies, who also got 10 points each from Paige Gernes, Gabby Zehrer, and Sarah Krynski.
 
The loss to St. Thomas, coupled with Augsburg's 64-58 win over St. Olaf Wednesday, leaves the Cardinals (7-10 MIAC, 13-11 overall) tied with the Auggies for the sixth and final conference playoff spot—one game ahead of Carleton—with one game remaining in the regular season. A Saint Mary's win over Saint Benedict on Saturday, and the Cardinals punch their ticket to the post-season dance for a sixth straight year. A loss to the Blazers, and Saint Mary's would need Augsburg to lose its regular-season finale against St. Olaf, and Carleton to lose its final contest to Gustavus, to earn the remaining playoff spot.