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Gabby Zehrer was named the tournament MVP after her 14-point performance Sunday for the Wildcats
59
Winner St. Catherine's Univ SCU 2-0
47
Emerson EMER 1-1
Winner
St. Catherine's Univ SCU
2-0
59
Final
47
Emerson EMER
1-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
St. Catherine's Univ SCU 29 30 59
Emerson EMER 29 18 47

Game Recap: Basketball |

Wildcats use 59-47 win over Emerson to win tournament championship

After dismantling Wentworth Institute of Technology to open the season Saturday and advance to the Emerson College Tournament championship, the St. Catherine University basketball team showed they were already a stronger team than a year ago as they fought host Emerson for a 59-47 victory to claim the championship Sunday afternoon in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Unlike Saturday's win, the Wildcats did not shoot nearly as well with just a 30.8 percentage from the field and were outrebounded by the Lions 52-47. They found themselves battling point-for-point with Emerson in the first half where the two teams played to a 29-29 tie at halftime. However, the Wildcats showed their defensive strength as they held Emerson to just 17.9 percent shooting in the second half. 

Emerson took its largest lead by just three points early in the game with 17:03 remaining in the first half. After exchaning leads five times in the first half, the Wildcats responded early after the break as they went on a 19-4 run over 9:26 to take a 12-point lead over the Lions with just over nine minutes to play. The Wildcats would eventually take a 16-point lead with just over three minutes to play before closing out the win.

Gabby Zehrer (Rogers, Minn./Totino-Grace) emerged as the Wildcats' leading scorer Sunday with a game-high 14-points. She also added nine rebounds and two steals to her stat line and finished the weekend with a team-best 30 points earning her the tournament MVP honor. 

LaShay Holt (Minneapolis, Minn./Humbolt) put up another strong performance with her first double-double of the season with 10 points and a team-high 15 rebounds. She completed her stat line with three assists and two steals. The sophomore finished her outstanding weekend with 27 points and 26 rebounds for all-tournament team honors.

Fellow sophomore Mari Lee (Dawson, Minn./Dawson-Boyd) who finished the win with a career-high 12 points also joined Holt on the all-tournament team. She also added eight rebounds as well as two assists and three steals to complete a stellar opening weekend of play compiling 19 points and 15 rebounds.

Rookie Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) showed for the second time in as many games that she would continue to be an impact player for the Wildcats this season as she again collected a double-digit scoring performance with an 11-point effort. She also led the team from the free throw line going 5-for-5. 

Mary Neumann (Duluth, Minn./Hermantown) came off the bench to contribute five points and a steal, while Shauna Horsch (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) had four rebounds, three steals and two points. 

For the Lions, Emily Cameron and Janissa Delzo each had eight points, while Kelsey Johnson had a game-best 17 rebounds. 

With the win, the Wildcats open the season 2-0 and claimed their first tournament championship since 2008-09 when the squad won the Alverno College Tip-Off Classic. The Wildcats' home opener is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 20 with non-conference opponent UW-Stout coming to town for a 7:30 p.m. matchup in the Butler Center.

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