The Gusties played strong defensively in the first half, limiting the Cardinals to only 13 points on 4-20 shooting. The Gusties shot only slightly better, however, going 9-32 from the field. Saint Mary's senior forward Jamie Rattunde was whistled for four fouls in the first ten minutes of play, but would not commit a foul for the rest of the contest. Gustavus led by as much as 11 in the half and took a 23-13 lead into halftime.
Gustavus faced a much stronger team in the second half as the Cardinals scored eight straight points to open the half, cutting the Gusties' lead to 23-21. Saint Mary's shot 68.4% from the field in the second half, going 3-5 from behind the 3-point arc and 18-20 from the free throw line. The Cardinals led by 10 points with six minutes left to play before the Gusties pulled to within two off eight straight points from Jess Vadnais and sophomore post Bri Monahan. The Cardinals' sharp shooting, however, proved to be too much for the Gusties to handle down the stretch as Saint Mary's pulled away for a 60-53 victory.
The Gusties will be back in action on Saturday January 8 for a conference match-up against Bethel. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in St. Peter.