After many weeks of practice and work to prepare for the 2014-15 season, the St. Catherine University basketball team finally got a chance to showcase its talents and potential for the upcoming season at the Emerson College Tournament. The Wildcats couldn't have put on a better display to open the year as they advance to the championship game against host Emerson after defeating Wentworth Institute of Technology 81-58 Saturday afternoon in Boston, Massachusetts. 

The Wildcats' season opener began with back-and-forth play as the two teams exchanged points for the first 11 minutes of the game where Wentworth held a slight 18-17 lead. However, the Wildcats decided to take over the game from then out going on a 26-6 run in the final 8:59 of the first half. They took a 43-24 lead into the half and continued to pour on the pressure leading by as many as 26 points with 16:33 to play in the second half. 

As a team, the Wildcats held an impressive 50-30 advantage over the Leopards for the third-highest rebound total for a single game in program history. The Wildcats narrowly outedged the Leopards shooting with a 35.9 percentage from the field. More impressive, though, was the Wildcats' performance at the free throw line making 17 of 19 attempts. 

Fresh off a break-out rookie season, 2013-14 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) All-First-Year Team selection LaShay Holt (Minneapolis, Minn./Humbolt) led the Wildcats with 17 points and nine rebounds as she narrowly missed a double-double performance. The sophomore also had a team-high four assists and three steals. 

A healthy Gabby Zehrer (Rogers, Minn./Totino-Grace) returned to the Wildcat lineup with an impressive 16-point performance where she shot 50 percent from the field and was a flawless 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Zehrer also collected four rebounds, one assist and a steal to complete her stat line. 

Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) also made an impact in her first collegiate appearance with 10 points and three rebounds, while Mari Lee (Dawson, Minn./Dawson-Boyd) had a career-best performance with seven points and seven rebounds shooting 50 percent from the field. 

Shauna Horsch (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) had one of the best all-around performances for the Wildcats in the win with seven points, three rebounds, three steals, two assists and the team's lone block. Alexis Garcia (Eden Prairie, Minn./Hopkins) also made a statement in her first collegiate game with eight points and two steals.

For the Leopards, Rachel Camara had a game-high 19 points, while Carly Rogers had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Wildcats will face host Emerson Sunday in the tournament championship with game time slated for 3 p.m. EST.

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