MOORHEAD, Minn.---After a tough loss at home Saturday, the St. Catherine University basketball team looked to end its five-game skid and avoid dropping below .500 for the first time this season. The odds were against the Wildcats, though, as they traveled a long distance to face an always-tough Concordia College squad in a critical Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) matchup. Despite holding a narrow one-point lead at the half, the Wildcats couldn't find their scoring touch in the second half before falling 69-47 Wednesday evening.
For the first time all season, the Wildcats were held to less than 50 points by an opponent. They shot just 31.4 percent from the field and were outrebounded 43-20 by the Cobbers. Defensively, the Wildcats struggled to hold off the Cobbers who shot 48.1 percent and put in 20 points off just 11 Wildcat turnovers. The Cobbers also took advantage of 14 offensive rebounds to score 19 second-chance points.
In the first quarter, the Cobbers jumped out to an eight-point lead with 4:23 remaining before taking an 18-12 lead after 10 minutes of play. The Wildcats pulled within one point of the Cobbers in the opening four-plus minutes of play before allowing the Cobbers to take a 23-17 lead with 5:37 left in the half. The Wildcats went on an 8-0 run over the next 2:28 to take a two-point lead before securing a 28-27 advantage at the half.
The second half opened in favor of the Cobbers who made the opening shot to regain the lead for good. With 1:18 remaining in the third quarter, the Cobbers pushed their lead to eight until
Mari Lee (Dawson, Minn./Dawson-Boyd) hit a 3-pointer with 52 seconds left to pull within five.
Lee hit another from beyond the arc to pull the Wildcats within two to open the final quarter. Unfortunately, the Wildcats' offense went cold over the remaining 9:19 as the Cobbers outscored them 26-6 to close out the game for their sixth MIAC victory of the season. Reigning MIAC Athlete-of-the-Week
LaShay Holt (Minneapolis, Minn./Humboldt) led the Wildcats with 16 points to match her season average. She also recorded a team-high four steals while adding four rebounds and two assists.
Lee tallied 11 points after going 4-for-7 from the field. She also led the Wildcats with six rebounds.
Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) and
Meg Clark (
Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) each scored eight points while Alexis Garcia (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) added three points to round out the Wildcat offense.
Four Cobbers scored in double digits with Hannah Jeske pouring in 19 on a 6-of-7 performance from the field. Jenna Janushka recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Katie Rosenfeldt had 13 points and Olivia Johnson added 10 points.
With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 7-8 on the season and 2-7 in the MIAC. They return to action Saturday at Hamline University for game two of the season series at 3 p.m. in St. Paul. Wildcat Basketball on TwitterWildcat Basketball on FacebookWildcats on InstagramWildcats on TwitterWildcats on Facebook
