SUPERIOR, WIS. – Where there's a will, there's a way, and the St. Catherine University basketball team is the master of finding the way. In its last two games, St. Kate's used dramatic buzzer beaters to defeat its opponents, and on Friday night in Superior, Wisconsin, the Wildcats once again found a way to win. Thanks to a career night from Kennedy Jennings (Grimes, Iowa / Dallas Center-Grimes) and big-time defensive play down the stretch, St. Kate's scored yet another close win, this time over the University of Wisconsin-Superior by a score of 61-58.

The Wildcats entered the game against the Yellow Jackets riding a two game win streak, thanks to last second victories in early December. However, St. Kate's was also coming off a 16 day break having not played since December 14. Despite the long break, the Wildcats managed to grab an early 14-12 lead over UW-Superior after a first quarter that featured four lead changes.

St. Kate's offense, though, truly came to life in the second quarter thanks, in large part, to Jennings and fellow senior LaShay Holt (Minneapolis, Minn. / Humboldt). The two seniors combined to score 25 of the Wildcats 40 first half points and scored over half the team's point in the explosive second quarter. After scoring the final basket of the first, the Wildcats went on an 11-point scoring run, with seven of those points scored by Holt. The senior guard also had two key steals during the run, which held the Yellow Jackets potent offense at bay. In fact, St. Kate's defensive effort in the second quarter was even more impressive than the offensive effort. While the Wildcats were busy scoring 26 points on offense, the defense held UW-Superior to just seven total points in the second 10 minutes of play.  

The Yellow Jackets 19 first half points was the lowest point-total the Wildcats allowed in a half this season.  Fortunately, St. Kate's came out just as strong in the second half as it ended the first. While UW-Superior did start to score, the Wildcats had an answer for every basket offensively. Jennings scored five of the team's points in the third quarter, which allowed St. Kate's to take a 50-39 lead with one quarter remaining in the game.

Still, the Wildcats weren't out of the swamp just yet as there was plenty of time for the Yellow Jackets to cut into the lead. Despite outscoring UW-Superior in every quarter, St. Kate's still needed to outscore and outrebound the top team in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) for 10 final minutes. Two minutes in, it looked like the Wildcats were going to do just that, as Alexis Garcia (Minnetonka, Minn. / Hopkins) hit a big three-point shot from beyond the arc to but St. Kate's up by 14 with under eight minutes remaining in the game.

Still, little by little, the Yellow Jackets continued to chip away at the lead. With 3:56 remaining, UW-Superior's Hannah Norlin hit a jumper, pulling her team within one of St. Kate's. The Wildcats were unable to convert offensively on their next possession, allowing the Yellow Jackets to take a 57-56 lead, their first lead of the game since the opening quarter of play.

However, Holt and Mari Lee (Dawson, Minn. / Dawson-Boyd) scored back-to-back layups on the following possessions to help St. Kate's retake the lead. While Jennings did commit a foul on defensive, it was no harm no foul for the Wildcats. Superior's Justine Larson made the first free throw but missed the second, and Jennings gave St. Kate's a three point lead on the next offensive possession by converting one of two free throws. That three-point lead proved to be all the Wildcats would need, as they went on to beat the Yellow Jackets 61-58.

Jennings scored a career high 20 points in the effort, while Holt recorded her third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Garcia was the third Wildcat to score in double-digits Friday night with 11 points.

Thanks to Friday night's nonconference win, St. Kate's improves to 8-3 on the season and is still 2-2 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play. The Wildcats will return to action on Wednesday, January 4 when they host Carleton College for a 7 p.m. game in the Butler Center Gymnasium.