WINONA, Minn. — There was nothing new about the way the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team went out its business last Saturday afternoon.

In fact, it was the same old tried and true formula — Ashley Luehmann (Lewiston, Minn.) scored 21 points and Jamie Rattunde (Rollingstone, Minn.) recorded her fourth straight double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

'POW!' 'BAM!' 'OOF!'

The Cardinals' dynamic duo was at it again.

"It was typical night for Ashley and Jamie," understated SMU coach Dan Messmann, who watched as the two helped the Cardinals beat St. Olaf 60-54 for their second straight win. "They just went about their business.

"It was a good win for us," continued Messmann. "Any win in this conference is a good win."

A good win, but certainly not an easy one. .

SMU trailed 25-20 after the first half, as the Cardinals struggled from the field, making just 8 of 28 shots from the field — including a dismal 1-for-12 from the 3-point line.

The second half, however, was a different story, as the Cardinals shot 60 percent from the field, making 14 of 23 field-goal attempts and a more respectable 4-for-8 from the 3-point line.

"It was a tale of two halves," said Messmann. "We didn't shoot the ball well in the first half, but came back with good energy and shot the ball much better in the second half."

Beth Walch (Altura, Minn.) also scored in double figures for the Cardinals, who improved to 9-4 in the MIAC and 10-6 overall, netting 10 points.

"This was a big week for us," said Messmann, whose team opened the week wtih a disappointing performance in a loss to Concordia, before regrouping for back-to-back wins over Hamline and St. Olaf. "We did not play very well (against Concordia), but it was good to see us come back and play the way we are capble against Hamline and St. Olaf.

"I thnk we gained a lot of momentum with these two wins, now we've got to keep that going."