ST. PAUL, MINN. – After a disappointing loss against the College of Saint Benedict on Wednesday, the St. Catherine University basketball team returned to the court determined to win its first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) game of the season. However, the Wildcats didn't just win their first conference game of the year. They dominated the visiting St. Olaf College Oles on both ends of the court, winning the game in decisive fashion 69-51.

It was clear from the get go that defense would be a major factor in Saturday afternoon's game between the Oles and Wildcats. In fact, neither team was able to score for the first three minutes of play. Fortunately for St. Kate's fans, it was junior guard Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn. / Kenyon-Wanamingo) who scored the first bucket of the ball game. Her jumper from the free throw line gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead and sparked a seven-point run over the next two minutes of play. Clark accounted for five of St. Kate's initial seven points with a two-pointer and a three-pointer while first year Danica Cambrice (Minneapolis, Minn. / St. Croix Lutheran) also converted a layup to give the Wildcats a definitive lead.

Eventually, St. Olaf did manage to score on St. Kate's stingy defense. McKenna Ash scored a two-point basketball cut the Wildcats lead to 7-2. However, Alexis Garcia (Minnetonka, Minn. / Hopkins) quickly extended the lead back to eight points with a key three-point field goal with an assist from Clark.

After Garcia's field goal, St. Kate's offense went quiet, and the Oles scored two unanswered baskets to cut the lead to 10-6. At that point, head coach Sean Pinkerton subbed in LaShay Holt (Minneapolis, Minn. / Humboldt) who quickly made her presence felt. The senior guard grabbed a key defensive rebound on St. Olaf's next possession and took it all the way to the basket to give the Wildcats a 12-6 lead. Holt scored four points and forced a key turnover in the final three minutes to help St. Kate's take a 14-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Wildcats were just as strong offensively in the second quarter as they were in the first. The team was 16 of 35 from the field for a 45.7 shooting percentage and held a 38.5 shooting percentage form the three-point line. On the flip side, St. Kate's defensive game was equally as impressive, as it held St. Olaf to 39.3% from the field and 33% from the three-point arc.

Thanks to strong play on both sides of the ball, the Wildcats held a 37-27 lead at the end of the half and Clark was the team's leading scorer with 10 points. However, St. Kate's did not get out to nearly as good of a start in the third quarter. The Wildcats made costly mistakes on both offensive and defense, allowing the Oles to score seven unanswered points and to get within three of St. Kate's lead.

Just like in the first half, the Wildcats were able to silence St. Olaf with a huge basket of their own. After failing to score in the opening minutes of the third, Mari Lee (Dawson, Minn. / Dawson-Boyd) hit the first basket of the quarter with a wide open three from the corner. That gave St. Kate's a 40-34 lead and extinguished the Oles offensive attack.

The Wildcats continued to push their lead, eventually ending the third quarter with a 51-42 lead thanks to a last second bucket by Holt. However, St. Olaf again threatened in the fourth with a three from Margaret Anderson to get back within five of St. Kate's. That was the closest the Oles would come to catching the Wildcats in the final quarter. As the minutes passed, St. Kate's built up its lead over St. Olaf with buckets by Holt, Cambrice, and Sam Skwarek (St. Anthony, Minn. / St. Anthony). It was Clark, though, that sealed the Wildcats 69-51 victory with an offensive rebound and layup at 0:16 in the fourth.

Holt was both the team's leading scorer in the victory and recorded her first double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Clark was St. Kate's second leading scorer with 15 points in 28 minutes of play.

With the win, the Wildcats improve to 4-2 on the season and are now 1-1 in MIAC play. St. Kate's will return to the court on Monday for its first of three games next week. The Wildcats will play Crown College on the road Monday, Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota on Wednesday, and will return home to play Augsburg College on Saturday.