Notables
- VanKempen recorded a career-high 21 points in the loss as well as a team-high 31 minutes
- CSS is now 0-4 all-time against Saint Mary's
- The Cardinals outscored the Saints 20-7 in the first quarter
- Kennedy scored a career-high 14 points (12 in first half) to go along with six steals

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WINONA, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The College of St. Scholastica women's basketball team could not string together its third straight win Wednesday afternoon, falling to the Saint Mary's University Cardinals by a score of 76-53 despite a 21-point performance from senior Holly VanKempen (Elbow Lake, Minn./West Central HS) at the Saint Mary's Gymnasium.
 
First Half
The Saints, who were coming off a two-win performance out in Colorado, were on the bus yet again for considerable time on the trip down to Winona. The traveling must have finally worn down on them, as they were slow to start against the Cardinals (4-2), falling behind early at a score of 11-2.
 
Michala Walther (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) connected on a three moments after the Cardinals took the 11-2 lead, cutting the score to 11-5 halfway through the first quarter. Saint Mary's answered Walther's three with a 9-0 run to jump out to a commanding 20-5 lead with just under three minutes remaining. After scoring the first five points of the game for CSS, Walther went down on a defensive scramble and wouldn't return for the remainder of the game.
 
The Cardinals opened up the second quarter where they left off in the first, as they knocked down another three-pointer to extend their lead to 23-7. With St. Scholastica's leading scorer in Walther hurt, someone else needed to step up and provide a spark. In the second quarter it was freshman Kaylee Kennedy (Littlefork, Minn./Littlefork-Big Falls HS) who rose to the occasion, netting 12 of her season-high 14 points in the quarter to bring the Saints to within nine at a score of 35-26 heading into the locker room.
 
CSS had gotten the score to within five with a minute left after an Emelia Miner (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson HS) three, but Saint Mary's ended the half on quick run to halt any momentum CSS had started to begin feeling.
 
Second Half
Saint Mary's started the second half much like the first, as they scored the first six points of the third quarter to take a 41-26 lead. Back-to-back jumpers by VanKempen kept the Saints remotely close however, bringing the score back to 41-30.
 
Once again the Cardinals went on the attack, scoring seven-consecutive points to bump the lead back to 18 at 48-30. VanKempen hit two more mid-range jumpers to end the Cardinal run, but the damage was already done as Saint Mary's now had a lead of 53-36 heading into the fourth and final quarter.
 
The fourth quarter, specifically the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, didn't go well for the Saints. During the five-minute span, the Cardinals put together a 13-0 run to make the point differential hit the 30-point mark at 76-36. Finally, a Rashonna Thomas (Minneapolis, Minn./Columbia Heights HS (Anoka-Ramsey CC)) free throw put the Saints on the scoreboard in the fourth at the 5:03 mark.
 
VanKempen then worked her way through some defenders in the paint for a layup, followed by a layup from Thomas to quickly bring the Saint Mary's lead back down to 25. After a pair of free throws from VanKempen moments later, Danielle Cieluch (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) and VanKempen herself knocked down three-point baskets to cut the lead down even more.
 
The Cardinals started to trade baskets with the Saints again, however, and despite another VanKempen layup with under two minutes remaining the Saints weren't able to erase much of the deficit as they fell by a final score of 76-53.
 
After Kennedy stepped up in the first half, it was VanKempen providing the bulk of the scoring in the second half. The senior forward went 7-for-11 from the field during her 17-minute second half, scoring 17 points and recording two steals.
 
Top Performers
The Saints were led by VanKempen, who scored a career-high 21 points (17 in the second half). Kennedy also reached double figures, scoring 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting and collecting six steals. Sam Brannen (Ramsey, Minn./Anoka HS) battled hard on the boards, pulling in a team-high five rebounds.
 
Saint Mary's was led by Brandi Blattner, who went 10-for-12 from the field on her way to 25 points. Abby Winter also put up some significant stats, going an astonishing 7-for-7 from the field for 15 points while also hauling in nine rebounds.
 
Up Next
The Saints (3-2) will now wait until next Wednesday to take on their next opponent, which will mark their first Upper Midwest Athletic Conference game of the year as they travel across the bridge to take on the University of Wisconsin-Superior at 7:30 p.m.