Box Score After allowing 80 points in each of  two-straight losses, the St. Catherine University basketball team hoped it could find a way to limit turnovers and put out a stronger defensive effort against St. Olaf College to close out the 2013 portion of the season at home. Despite taking a lead into halftime and limiting the Oles' scoring in the paint, the Wildcats couldn't hold on as the Oles overcame an eight-point deficit in the second half to hand the Wildcats a 59-53 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) loss Wednesday evening at the Butler Center. 

In the first half, the Wildcats led the Oles by as many as seven points, forced 11 turnovers and limited Elise Raney and Emily Wahlberg – two of the league's most accurate centers – to just a combined two points. The Wildcats only committed six turnovers and both Abby Torgerson (Anoka, Minn.) and Gabby Zehrer (Rogers, Minn.) reached double-digits to give their team a 30-26 lead heading into the break. 

Less than four minutes into the second half, the Wildcats managed to push their lead to eight. But the Oles slowly climbed their way back into the game and even held an eight-point advantage over the Wildcats with seven minutes to play. Unfortunately, the Wildcats couldn't overcome foul trouble late in the game and shot just 25 percent from the field as they eventually suffered their third-straight MIAC loss. 

Torgerson and Zehrer each finished the game with 13 points a piece, while Kristen Lee (Dawson, Minn.) hit 3-for-4 from 3-point range for nine points. Torgerson also sunk three from beyond the arc and Shauna Horsch (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) didn't miss from that range to score six points. 

LaShay Holt (Minneapolis, Minn.) recorded a team-high eight rebounds and tied Sarah Manning (Page, Ariz.) with a game-best three steals. Manning was also 2-for-2 from the free throw line where she is shooting .833 on the season. 

Leading the way for the Oles was Kim Cerjan who sunk four 3-point shots and scored a game-high 19 points. Sheridan Blanford was 4-for-9 off the bench for nine points, while reigning MIAC Athlete-of-the-Week Raney scored seven, had a game-high 10 rebounds and dished out four blocks. The Oles also held a 52-37 advantage over the Wildcats in rebounds.

The Wildcats will take a break for the holidays before returning to MIAC action Saturday, Jan. 4, against Augsburg College. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Minneapolis. 

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