Box Score After suffering a tough late-game loss to Bethel University on the road Wednesday, the St. Catherine University basketball team faced another difficult Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opponent in Gustavus Adolphus College just three days later.
 
Despite matching the Gusties point-for-point in the second half, the Wildcats couldn't overcome a first-half deficit and fell 76-57 to Gustavus, Saturday afternoon at the Butler Center.
 
The high-powered Gustie offense opened the game with an 11-0 run to put the Wildcats down early, but the Wildcats put together a string of seven-straight points to pull within six just before the midway point of the first half.
 
However, the Gusties would push their lead to 45-26 at halftime thanks to Karina Schroeder who was a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
 
The Wildcats showed they still had some fight though as they would match the Gusties' 31 points in the second half. The Wildcats would outscore the Gusties 21-9 in the game's final eight minutes before eventually falling to the second-place MIAC team.
 
Sarina Baker (Plymouth, Minn.) had her best performance since the holiday break as she led the Wildcats with 17 points and nine boards.
 
Junior Kristen Lee (Dawson, Minn.) had another strong performance with 12 points and led the Wildcats in assists (4) and steals (2).
 
Mary Neumann (Dultuh, Minn.), who was named the Wildcat Athlete of the Week on Monday, continued with her consistent play with 11 points, five boards and the team's only block.
 
The Gusties also had three players cap the double-digit mark as Schroeder finished with 18, while Kelsey Florian had 16 points and Rachelle Blashchko came off the bench to score 11.
 
The Wildcats will look for their first MIAC win of the season in a rematch against Carleton College, Wednesday in Northfield, Minn., at 7:30 p.m.
 
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