The St. Catherine University basketball team had been off to a great start to the 2015-16 season winning five-straight, but knew keeping the streak alive would be tough in facing a talented Bethel University squad to open Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play. Despite leading for most of the opening half, the Wildcats saw their winning-streak snap after a 76-61 loss the Royals Wednesday evening in Arden Hills, Minnesota. 

After outshooting the Royals in the opening half 32.4 percent to 30.8 percent, the Royals found a way to break the Wildcats' defense in the second half to shoot 46.4 percent from the field. The Wildcats were also out-rebounded 53-37 by the Royals and allowed 23 points off turnovers. 

In the opening quarter, the Wildcats led by as many as seven points with 3:24 remaining and managed to outscore the Royals 17-12. However, the Royals quickly began to cut into the Wildcats' lead in the second quarter and managed to tie the game at 21-21 with 4:56 remaining.

With less than a minute remaining in the half, the Royals pulled ahead by ten before the Wildcats' strung together a 4-0 run to make it 34-28 at the break. Unfortunately, the Wildcats didn't have an answer for the Royals in the second half as they quickly allowed their opponent to pull away for the MIAC-opening victory. 

Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) led the Wildcats in scoring with a game-high 18 points thanks to 4-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc. The sophomore also collected five rebounds, two assists, a steal and one block to complete her solid all-around effort for the Wildcats. 

All-MIAC selection LaShay Holt (Minneapolis, Minn./Humboldt) came off the bench to record her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds. She also continued to cause havoc for opponents creating a game-high five steals. 

Shauna Horsch (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) was good for 11 points and six rebounds, while Meg Clark (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) added nine points and three boards. Kennedy Jennings (Grimes, Iowa/Dallas Center-Grimes) also made a solid contirbution with five points, five rebounds and a career-high six blocks. 

For the Royals, Shanni Morse piled in 16 points on a 50-percent shooting performance. Hannah Niewald and Molly O'Toole each collected 12 points and Rachel Parupsky tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double performance. 

Not only did the Wildcats' loss end a five-game streak in 2015-16, but it also snapped an eight-game streak that extended into the final three games of the 2014-15 season. The Wildcats also dropped their first MIAC opener in since the 2012-13 season – the Wildcats upset the College of Saint Benedict and Bethel in back-to-back conference openers in 2013-14 and 2014-15, respectively. 

With the loss, the Wildcats move to 5-1 on the season and 0-1 in the MIAC. They will return home to face a struggling Hamline University squad at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Butler Center. 

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