WINONA, Minn. — After an impressive first half against St. Thomas Wednesday night, it looked like the King Kong-sized monkey that had been clinging to the backs of the Saint Mary's University women's basketball players was finally going to be homeless.

After 35 straight losses, the Cardinals appeared to be on their way to a victory over the Tommies — thanks in part to an impressive 11-1 run to end the first half that gave SMU a five-point, 28-23 halftime advantage.

Problem was, there were still 20 minutes to be played — and play the Tommies did.

St. Thomas shot 44 percent from the field and connected on 14 of 19 free throws in outscoring the Cardinals 43-32 en route to the 66-60 victory — and the 36th straight win over SMU.

"We played very well," said SMU coach Dan Messmann. "It was a very good effort — we just couldn't quite get over the hump down the stretch."

The Cardinals' halftime advantage quickly jumped to eight as Jaimie Lee (Eden Prairie, Minn.) nailed one of her three three-point baskets to open the second half.

From there, however, the Tommies took over.

Erica Opdahl, who finished with a game-high 22 points and 14 rebounds, scored 12 points during a 23-7 St. Thomas run that gave the Tommies a 46-38 advantage. SMU whittled the lead down to two, 46-44, but St. Thomas responded with a 10-0 run of its own and the Cardinals could not get closer than six the rest of the way.

Ashley Luehmann (Lewiston, Minn.) scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Cardinals, while Jamie Rattunde (Rollingstone, Minn.) chipped in 16.

"The momentum was back and forth," said Messmann, whose team dropped its second straight and fell to 2-3 in the MIAC and 2-5 overall. "On our runs, we were able to get up and down the floor and get some easy transition baskets. When (St. Thomas) made their runs, they were able to get inside — it was their size and strength against our speed and quickness."

And, unfortunately for the Cardinals, size and strength won out in the end.

"It's a disappointing loss in that we played well enough to win," Messmann admitted. "Our first half was great, we shut them down and played very well at both ends of the floor. In the second, St. Thomas really took advantage of their size inside and we just couldn't stop them.

"I think this game was definitely a step in the right direction for us," Messmann continued. "But now we've got to learn to play to win against teams like St. Thomas – we can't be satisfied with just playing well."

* THIS AND THAT: Ashley Luehmann (Lewiston, Minn.) tossed a career-high 22 points in the Cardinals' loss to St. Thomas. … UST has now won 36 straight game vs. SMU. … After posting back-to-back wins over Hamline and St. Olaf, the Cardinals have now dropped two straight. … The Cardinals have dominated the first half this season, outscoring their opponents 220-195. … Jamie Rattunde (Rollingstone, Minn.) leads a trio of SMU players averaging in double figures at 16.9 ppg. Luehmann (13.0) and Jaimie Lee (Eden Prairie, Minn. / 10.6) are the other two. … Both of the Cardinals' wins this season have come on their home floor. … Through their first seven games, the Cardinals are averaging 63.7 ppg, while their opponents are averaging 63.6. …All five of SMU's losses have been by seven points or less.