ST. PAUL, MINN. – The St. Catherine University basketball team could not have asked for a better start to the 2016-17 season. St. Kate’s opened the season with a 53-39 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire before going 1-1 at the NYU Tipoff Tournament to improve its overall record to 2-1. Key to the Wildcats success was none other than senior forward Mari Lee (Dawson, Minn. / Dawson-Boyd) who has been named Wildcat Athlete of the Week.
Lee’s impressive scoring week started against UW-Eau Claire when she led the team multiple offensive categories, including points, minutes played, and shooting percentage. The senior forward went 7-9 from the floor, 2-3 from beyond the arc, and 2-2 from the free throw line to lead the team with 18 points in over 40 minutes of play. She also was tremendous on defense, helping the Wildcats hold the Blugolds to 26% shooting from the field and 14% from the three-point line.
Lee followed up her performance in Eau Claire, Wisconsin with two nearly identical ones at the NYU Tipoff Tournament in Manhattan, New York. She was named to the All-Tournament team after two consecutive double-digit scoring performances, including a team-leading 18 point performance against UMASS-Boston. Then, in a 94-81 win over Baruch College, Lee added 16 more points to her weekly total and was once again the Wildcats best shooter from both the floor and the three point line.
Overall, Lee led the team in scoring, with 52 points and average of 17.3 points per game (PPG), and also ended the week with an impressive 74.1 shooting percentage. She currently stands second in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in field goal percentage, fifth in three-point shooting (57.1%) and is sixth in PPG (17.3).
Lee and the rest of the Wildcats won’t return to action until Sunday, November 27 for their home opener against the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Tip off between the Blue Devils and St. Kate's is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Butler Center Gym.
