Box Score
The St. Catherine University basketball team has been searching all season for its first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) win – hoping it would come against a Macalester College squad that has been on a seven-game losing streak – but knew it wouldn't come easily.
In a contest that needed overtime to be decided, the Wildcats battled the Scots down to the last second and had their best shooting performance of the season to pull off an impressive 84-82 victory over the Scots, Monday evening at the Leonard Center in St. Paul.
Coming off a loss to the University of St. Thomas in which the Wildcats couldn't knock down the shots they needed, the young squad was able to make an impressive turn around and shot over 50 percent from the field and 3-point range to help
Sean Pinkerton earn his first MIAC win as head coach of the Wildcats.
The Wildcats scored the game's opening points and led by as many as nine several times throughout the contest. Macalester tied the game six times until they finally took the lead for the with 1:56 to play in regulation.
With 17 seconds to play, the Scots went up 69-68, but took a foul that would allow
Cynthia Cowan (Elgin, Texas) to knock down a free throw to tie the game and force overtime.
The Wildcats scored the first points of the overtime period to regain the lead and never surrendered it to pick up a much-needed MIAC win.
En route to victory, five different Wildcats reached double-digit figures in an all-around team effort, while
Mary Neumann (Duluth, Minn.) had a night for the record books. The sophomore was perfect from beyond the arc as she went 5-for-5 to tie a Wildcat single-game record for most 3-pointers – all of which came in the first half. Neumann's 16 points was a career high and the second-most for a Wildcat all night
Sarina Baker (Plymouth, Minn.) continued to perform at a high level as she led the Wildcats in scoring for the second-straight game with 18. The sophomore also shot 60 percent from the field and pulled in eight rebounds.
Kristen Lee (Dawson, Minn.) matched Neumann's 16 points in her second-best scoring game of the season. She was the team's most accurate shooter going 5-of-6 from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 from 3-point range. The junior guard also had six rebounds and led the team with three steals.
Baker and Lee weren't the only Wildcats who had impressive shooting nights, though. Sarah Mong (Page, Ariz.) – who has ranked among the league's most accurate shooters all season – shot 60 percent from the field, scored an impressive 14 points and had four assists.
Cowan scored 11 points to add to the Wildcats' offensive strike and led the team in rebounds (9), while
Amanda Padilla (Oxnard, Calif.) chipped in with a team-high five assists.
The Wildcats will look to extend their streak at home against a tough St. Olaf College squad, Wednesday at the
Butler Center. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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