Coming off a competitive contest with the defending Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Champion Saint Mary's University, the St. Catherine University basketball team knew it had a golden opportunity in its rematch with Gustavus Adolphus College after a close contest earlier in the season. Despite a lack-luster first half, the Wildcats recovered thanks to a huge second-half performance from Shauna Horsch (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) and played to overtime before falling 85-78 in extra minutes Saturday afternoon in Butler Center. 

In the first half, the Wildcats allowed the Gusties to open the game 11-0 in the first 6:22 of the game before going on a 13-2 run to tie the game with just over nine to play in the half. The Gusties then went on a 12-2 run in the final 3:50 to take a 35-24 lead into halftime against a Wildcat squad that shot just 31 percent and were out-rebounded 23-14.

The second half was a different story, though, as the Wildcats came to life on the back of Horsch who finished the game with a career-high 28 points. After scoring just two points from the charity stripe and missing her first five shots in the opening 20, Horsch went 4-of-7 from the field and 8-of-8 from the line in the second 20 to help the Wildcats to a much improved 53.8 percent shooting performance in the second 20 minutes. 

The Wildcats opened the half with two quick runs to pull within three points of the Gusties six minutes in. Finally, the Wildcats managed to tie the game at 54-54 with 6:49 remaining and then went on a 14-4 run to take a 10-point lead with just over three to play. The Gusties responded immediately with a 10-0 run over the next two minutes to force overtime at 68-68. 

The Gusties came out firing in the extra minutes going 6-of-9 from the field and holding the Wildcats to just two field goals after both LaShay Holt (Minneapolis, Minn./Humbolt) and Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) fouling out. Eventually, the Wildcats fell 85-78 despite a late effort at a comeback in overtime. The Gusties claimed their seventh win of the season thanks to a 28-point performance from Lindsey Johnson and a 49.2 percent shooting day from the entire squad. 

For the Wildcats, Horsch compiled her career-high point total going 14-of-14 from the free throw line – the second-best single-game free throw performance in program history. She also knocked down four 3-pointers, added five rebounds and had two steals and a block. 

Despite a seeing less minutes due to early-game foul trouble, Holt made a huge impact for the Wildcats going 8-of-13 from the field for 19 points. She was strong defensively with a team-high six rebounds and four steals and also set up the offense with three assists. Also with foul trouble early, Clark added 10 points for her 10th double-digit scoring game of her rookie season. She also had three rebounds, three assists and a steal. 

Meg Clark (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) had one of her best performances in recent games going 3-for-6 from the field for eight points. She also added three assists, one steal and one rebound. 

With Holt and Audra Clark in foul trouble, Sarah Manning (Page, Ariz./Page) came off the bench for her most significant minutes of the season. She was a huge defensive factor and scored six points with several layups at critical moments of the second half for the Wildcats. She also had three assists, one rebound and three assists. 

For the Gusties, Johnson was 11-of-15 from the field for her 28-point performance, while Maddie Ehrich had 20 points and a game-high eight rebounds. 

With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 7-10 on the season and 2-8 in the MIAC. They return to action Wednesday as they travel to face Bethel University at 7 p.m. in Arden Hills, Minnesota. 

Wildcat Basketball on Twitter
Wildcat Basketball on Facebook
Wildcats on Twitter
Wildcats on Facebook