Though the St. Catherine University basketball team's final record doesn't show it, the young squad showed gerat perserverance at the end of the 2014-15 season as it played some of its best basketball of the year in its final games. Thanks to a solid effort in the final game of the season against St. Olaf College, the Wildcats were able to end on a three-game winning streak with a 73-70 decision Saturday afternoon in Northfield, Minnesota. 

The Wildcats ended with an impressive day from the field shooting 48.1 percent and matched the Oles on the boards as each team nabbed 34 rebounds. Both teams were nearly even in points in the paint and points off turnovers, but the Wildcats were sharper fromt he free throw line at 72.0 percent which helped them hang on in the final seconds despite an attempt at an Ole comeback late. 

The two teams exchanged leads in the opening minutes of the first half, but the Wildcats slowly started to pull away and even led by 11 points before going into the break with a 37-29 lead. After the Oles hit a 3-pointer to open the half, the Wildcats went on an 11-2 run to take a 13-point lead with just over 15 points remaining.

However, the Oles started to slowly chip away at the Wildcat lead and eventualy went on top by one with 7:08 remaining thanks to a 20-6 run following the Wildcats' 13-point lead. The Wildcats then went on a 7-0 run in less than two minutes to take a six point lead with just over five to play. The Oles pulled within one point once more with just over three to play, but that's as far as they would come as the Wildcats pulled away for their fifth MIAC win and 10th of the season. 

LaShay Holt (Minneapolis, Minn./Humboldt) ended her spectacular sophomore season with a team high 18 points, while four other Wildcats scored in double digits. Holt was 6-of-14 from the field and led the team with eight rebounds and four assists and three steals. Those steals helped the Wildcats finish the season with a school record for steals in a single season with 283.

Holt also finished the year with a team-high 392 points that ranks eighth for a single season, while her 247 rebounds are just three shy of the school record. She also led the MIAC in rebounding this season averaging 9.9 per game. 

Shauna Horsch (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) finished her strong junior season with 15 points as she knocked down four of her nine shots from beyond the arc Saturday. She also had three rebounds, two assists, one block and a steal to complete her stat line. 

Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) shot 50 percent fromt he field for 13 points to score in double digits for the 17th time during her rookie season. She also had two boards, two assists and a steal. 

Kennedy Jennings (Grimes, Iowa/Des Moines) ended the season going 5-of-7 from the field for 11 points while also adding five rebounds and three steals. Mari Lee (Dawson, Minn./Dawson-Boyd) was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line for 10 points. She also had seven rebounds, one assist and a block. 

Sarah Manning (Page, Ariz./Page) and Jenna Mistler (Austin, Texas/Cedar Park) also both appeared in their final collegiate games as the two Wildcat seniors. Manning played in 85 games as a Wildcat scoring 450 points, while Mistler appeared in 63 contests scoring 163 points. 

Betsey Daly led the Oles in scoring with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Nikki Frogner chipped in 16 points. 

With the win, the Wildcats post their best record since 2009-10 finishing the year 10-15 overall and 5-13 in the MIAC. 

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