After two tough losses in a row, the St. Catherine University basketball team was looking for its first victory of 2015 as it faced off against a Carleton College squad that has been off to a solid start to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) season boasting a 2-2 record. Unfortunately, the Wildcats couldn't overcome a slow first half in falling 64-56 to the Knights Wednesday evening in Northfield, Minnesota.
The Wildcats' evening started off slow as they shot just 27.3 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes while allowing the Knights to shoot 56 percent and a remarkable 55.6 percent from beyond the arc. In the first half alone, the Wildcats allowed the Knights to score 16 of their 38 points off of their 12 turnovers.
Down 38-18 at the halfway point, the Wildcats had a lot of work to do to get back into the game. Despite battling throughout the opening 10 minutes, the Wildcats didn't start to chip away at the Knights lead until
LaShay Holt (Minneapolis, Minn./Humboldt) one of her two second-half 3-pointers at the 7:28 mark. Holt's bucket sparked a 15-2 run over the next 3:21 to allow the Wildcats to pull within seven points.
The comeback appeared to be too little too late, though, as the Wildcats couldn't cut the lead any further before suffering their fourth MIAC loss of the season and fourth-consecutive loss. Despite out-rebounding the Knights 44-25, the Wildcats' couldn't slow down the opponent's sharp-shooting offense that finished the night at a solid 47.9 percent.
Holt collected a team-high 16 points on a 7-for-11 shooting night. She also added 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season and ninth of her career. She also had a team-best three assists and a steal.
Shauna Horsch (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) pulled in a game- and career-high 12 boards to lead the Wildcats' strong rebounding performance. Added to her 12 points, Horsch's boards were good enough for her first collegiate double-double and her first double-digit rebounding performance of her career. She completed her stat line with two steals, one block and an assist.
Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) continued her strong rookie campaign with her seventh double-digit scoring performance of the season with 15 points. This is also the third time in four games the first-year has eclipsed 10 or more points. Clark also had a team-high three assists, three rebounds and a block.
Alexis Garcia (Eden Prairie, Minn./Hopkins) came off the bench for seven points which included a 3-point shot that contributed to the Wildcats' 42.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc in the second half. She also had three rebounds and a steal.
Leading the way for the Knights was Skylar Tsutsui who scored a game-high 24 points after going 4-for5 from beyond the arc and 8-of-11 from the field. Gabby Steinstra and Michelle Arima also passed into double-digits with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
The Wildcats return to home action Saturday afternoon for another MIAC matchup against Macalester College. Game time is set for 7 p.m. in the
Butler Center.
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