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WINONA, Minn. — No matter what they tried to do on Saturday afternoon, the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team just couldn't get over the hump.

The Cardinals had numerous opportunities to overcome deficits, but never could quite get the job done, as as they fell to Gustavus-Adolphus 64-49 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the SMU Gym.

The Cardinals' best chance came with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation, when Cherie Kulig (Independence, Wis.) knocked down a 3-pointer form the wing to cut the Gusties' lead to three. The Gusties, however, had answer — closing out the game on a 21-9 run to ice the win.

"Up until that (game-ending Gustavus run), I thought we out-played them," SMU coach Mandy Pearson said. "But we stopped being aggressive and we made a few bad mistakes and that was it."

Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) and Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) led the Cardinals with 10 points, with Stefely also pulling down 10 rebounds for her second straight double-double.

Molly Mathiowetz scored a game-high 18 points to lead a trio of Gusties in double figures. Molly Geske chipped in 18 points and Colleen Ruane added 13 for Gustavus (7-5 MIAC, 9-6 overall).
 
"When we are aggressive, we can play with anybody, but when we get tight and tentative, that's when we struggle," Pearson said. "That's what happened today."

The Cardinals shot 30 percent from the field (9-for-30) in the game's opening 20 minutes and found themselves staring at a 27-20 halftime deficit. SMU continued to peck away at the Gustie lead in the second half — until GAC took control with its game-ending run.

The Cardinals, who fall to 7-6 in the MIAC and 8-8 overall, are back in action on Wednesday, when they host Bethel at 7:30 p.m. at the SMU Gym.