MANHATTAN, N.Y. – For junior point guard Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn. / Kenyon-Wanamingo), a Sunday in New York could not have gone any better.
Just one day after the St. Catherine University basketball team was unable to come up with a victory against UMASS-Boston, the Wildcats bounced back to earn their second win of the season over Baruch College. Thanks to a career day from Clark, St. Kate's overcame a 40-39 deficit to beat the Bearcats 94-81 in its second came of the New York University Tipoff Tournament.

Clark wasn't the only player to have a career day against Baruch. Senior forward Alexis Garcia (Minnetonka, Minn. / Hopkins) was also stellar from the floor, scoring a career high 18 points, and all five Wildcat starters scored at least 10 points in the double-digit victory. However, both teams struggled to get going offensively in the first half, but once they got going, both the Wildcats and Bearcats were hard to stop. St. Kate's held a slim 18-17 lead after the opening quarter but fell behind 40-39 after surrendering 23 points to Baruch in the second quarter.

While the Wildcats struggled in the first half, shooting just 39% from the floor and 29% from the three-point line, the offense came to life in the third and fourth quarters. St. Kate's shot 66% as a team from the floor and 64% from beyond the arc, making it the team's most successful scoring half this season. At the center of it all was none other than Clark. The junior point guard scored 13 of her career high and team-leading 24 points in the third and fourth quarters by going 5-7 from the field and 1-2 from the three-point line.

Senior Kennedy Jennings (Grimes, Iowa / Dallas Center-Grimes) was also an offensive catalyst for the Wildcats in the second half. Jennings just missed recording a career high of her own, with 15 total points in the game, 12 of which she scored in the second half. She was also key for St. Kate's on the boards, pulling in a team-leading 10 rebounds, six of which were defensive rebounds.

However, despite the strong play from multiple players, the Wildcats only held a 63-62 lead after the third quarter. St. Kate's managed to shut down Baruch's top scorers in the second half, holding the Bearcats to just 19 points, their lowest total since the first quarter. While the defense was busy keeping Baruch at bay, the Wildcats did not waste a single opportunity of offense. St. Kate's scored 31 points in the final quarter, its highest total of the season, and eventually pulled away from the Bearcats with under five minutes to play.

Clark scored a career high 24 points in the 94-81 victory and was the team's leading scorer throughout all four quarters. Garcia also recorded a career high in points with 18 as the team's second leading scorer, while Mari Lee (Dawson, Minn. / Dawson-Boyd) added 16 points and Jennings added 15.

Lee was named to the All-Tournament team after scoring 34 total points and shooting 77% from the floor and 67% from the arc. This week, Lee tied her career high in points twice and finished the week with 52 total points. 

With the win, St. Kate's overall record improves to 2-1, while the team leaves New York with a 1-1 record. The Wildcats will return to the court on Sunday, November 27 for their home opener against the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Tip off between the Blue Devils and St. Kate's is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Butler Center Gym.