ST. PAUL, MINN. – The last time the St. Catherine University Wildcats met the University of St. Thomas Tommies, it was a game for the ages. The Wildcats upset the then sixth ranked Tommies 67-63 at the
Butler Center. This time around, St. Kate's was unable to recreate the magic, as they fell to St. Thomas 72-67 after a hard fought four quarters.
The Wildcats were hoping to continue playing a strong offensive and defensive game after beating Carleton at home on Wednesday. However, it was the Tommies who got off to to quick start on the offensive side of the ball. The home team jumped to a 20-15 lead while shooting 43% from the floor. The St. Thomas defense, though, had no answer for
LaShay Holt (Minneapolis, Minn./Humbolt),
Mari Lee (Dawson, Minn./Dawson-Boyd), and
Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) in the second quarter. The three players went on to score 15 of the Wildcats 20 second quarter points, helping the Wildcats surge to a 36-34 lead going into the half.
Unfortunately, the Wildcats offensive did not get a quick start in the second half. Only Clark seemed to have the hot hand, scoring 6 points in an offensively cold third period. Still, despite the cold shooting, the Wildcats were able to hang with the Tommies, and only trailed 50-53 heading into the final quarter of the game.
The teams traded leads for the rest of the game before St. Kate's seemed to take control for good with under 5 minutes late in regulation. Holt, who scored 18 points in the loss, made one of two free throws with 3:57 remaining to give the Wildcats a 62-59 lead. However, St. Thomas could not be stopped offensively, and it was rebounding that doomed St. Kate's in the end. The Tommies outrebounded the Wildcats 11-5 in the 4
th quarter and 48-28 in the game.
With the loss to St. Thomas, St. Kate's falls to 9-9 in the season with a 4-8 mark in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. It is also their 7
th loss in the last 8 games. The Wildcats look to get back to their winning ways on Wednesday, when they travel to Winona, Minnesota for a 7pm tip off against Saint Mary's.