Coming off a tough Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) operning matchup against Bethel University Wednesday night, the St. Catherine University basketball team had a golden opportunity to rebound with a win against a Hamline University squad that had struggled in the early part of the season. Despite taking a 10-point lead with just over eight minutes remaining in the game, the Wildcats couldn't hold on as the Pipers used an 18-1 run over then next 6:45 to take a seven-point lead en route to a 63-57 decision Saturday afternoon in the Butler Center. 

The Pipers edged out the Wildcats shooting 40 percent from the field and wining the battle on the baords 42-38. The Wildcats also turned the ball over 20 times and allowed the Pipers to score 21 off those opportunities. 

The Pipers came out strong in the opening half with a 30-21 lead at the break. They allowed the Wildcats to shoot just 24.1 percent from the field and held a 24-19 advantage in rebounds. In the third quarter, though, the Wildcats slowly started to mount a comeback that looked as if they might be able to put the game away. 

With 6:17 remaining in the third, the Wildcats went on a 12-4 run to tie the game at 41-41 with 37 seconds remaining. They went in to the final quarter with a two-point lead and pushed it to 10 points with 8:23 remaining before allowing the Pipers to return the favor and pull away for good. 

Leading the way for the Wildcats was LaShay Holt (Minneapolis, Minn./Humboldt) who recorded her third double-double of the season with a game-high 18 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. She also recorded a team-high three assists and added a steal to complete her stat line. 

Shauna Horsch (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) scored 14 points after going 7-for-9 from the line and added four rebounds and one block. Meg Clark (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) contirbuted solidly with eight points, seven rebounds, a team-high three steals and two assists. 

Kennedy Jennings (Grimes, Iowa/Dallas-Center-Grimes) and Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) each scored six points with Jennings recording a team-high two blocks and Clark adding two steals. 

For the Pipers, Chelsey Bonsante scored 17 points with 11 coming in the second half. She was 3-of-7 from beyond the arc and tallied a game-high four steals. Chole Graves scored 12 points in the second half for a total of 14. She also picked up nine assists to set up the Pipers for success. Alex Peterson went 6-of-12 from the field to chup in 15 points, while Allison Bartak grabbed a game-best 12 rebounds. 

With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 5-2 on the season and 0-2 in the MIAC. They return to MIAC action Wednesday on the road taking on Carleton College at 7 p.m. in Northfield, Minnesota. 

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