Box Score
After falling in its first game of the 2012-13 season to Alverno College Saturday afternoon, the St. Catherine University basketball team needed to find a way to fight back for a win against Stephens College before heading into Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play.
The Wildcats were able to do just that as they used a late second-half comeback from a 13-point deficit to grab their first win of the season, defeating Stephens College 58-55 in Milwaukee, Wis., Sunday.
Heading into the second half, the Wildcats had been shooting just 30 percent from the field and pulled in only five offensive rebounds after the first 20 minutes of play.
The second half didn't appear it would treat the Wildcats much better as Stephens went up by as many as 13 points through the next 15 minutes of play. The Wildcats would chip in a few points at a time, but couldn't seem to find momentum to gain a lead.
That was until they would go on a 14-3 run in the game's final five minutes to tie the game at 53 a side with just 1:21 to play. Sarah Mong (Page, Ariz.) would hit a free throw to put the Wildcats up 54-53, before the Wildcats went down 55-54 on a Stephens' jumper from Jessica McConnell.
Mong came up big for the Wildcats in the final minute as she added another layup to make it 56-55, before hitting two free throws to seal the win.
Mong scored the Wildcats' final five points in the win and ended the day with a game-high 23 points. She also pulled in nine rebounds and added three assists and two steals. For her effort, Mong was named to the Women's College Tipoff All-Tournament Team.
In the second half, the Wildcats shot 65 percent from the field and 50 percent from the 3-point line. They would finish the day with a 47.5 field goal percentage and a 93.8 free-throw percentage.
Kristen Lee (Dawson, Minn.) made two of the team's five 3-pointers and finished the game second on the team in points (12). Lee also added two defensive rebounds to the team's total of 19 and chipped in two steals and a block.
Defensively, the Wildcats had 12 steals and seven blocks.
Mary Neumann (Duluth, Minn.) had a game-high three blocks and also added 11 points to the offensive charge.
With the win, the Wildcats finish the Alverno Women's College Tipoff Tournament at 1-1 to open up the season. They will take a break from action for the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to the court for an MIAC matchup at the
Butler Center against Carleton College, Wednesday, Nov. 28, at 7:30 p.m.
Wildcats on Twitter
Wildcats on Facebook
Wildcat Basketball on Facebook
