ST. PAUL, MINN. – After beating the University of Wisconsin Superior on Monday, the St. Catherine University Basketball team was looking to keep the good times rolling in their return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play. The Wildcats played host to the visiting College of Saint Benedict, who had a record of 5-2 in their last seven games. Behind a stellar defensive effort in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, St. Kate's was able to come out on top 57-56 over the visiting Blazers.

It was clear defense was going to play a large role in the game from the very start. In their first possessions, both teams struggled to get shots off, and St. Kate's committed a shot clock violation on their first possession of the game. However, despite the early turnover, the Wildcats were able to get on the board first and slowly got into an offensive rhythm, as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Niki Fokken and Chelsey Guetter eventually got the Blazers offense going in the final six minutes of the quarter, and the teams went into the second quarter deadlocked at 13.

The defensive play was just as strong in the second quarter as it was in the first. Both teams had more turnovers than points in the first few minutes before Saint Ben's Guetter was finally able to score. However, neither team was able to hold a substantial lead.  Whenever one team scored, the other had an answer almost always on the next possession. Then, St. Kate's went on a 6-0 run in the middle of the quarter, pulling ahead 23-17 before Saint Ben's offense got hot again. Still, the Wildcats were able to end the first half with a 27-24 lead. Senior Shauna Horsch (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) led the team in points in the first half with seven while Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn. / Kenyon-Wanamingo) added six.

One Wildcat that was uncharacteristically quiet was LaShay Holt (Minneapolis, Minn. / Humboldt), who was held to just 4 points in the first half, all of them scored in the second quarter. However, the junior guard erupted in the third quarter, scoring 12 points to help St. Kate's jump ahead to a 46-36. It was the only quarter in which there were no ties and the Wildcats never trailed as they outscored the Blazers 19-12.

Saint Ben's, though, wasn't going home without a fight. Fokken and junior Alison Newton scored nine second half points despite St. Kate's stingy defensive play. Newton hit two free throws to pull within one with 39 seconds remaining in the game, and the Wildcats were unable to score on their offensive possession. But, with three seconds remaining in the game, St. Kate's forced Saint Ben's to turn the ball over on the inbound pass and avoided a foul on the assuming possession.

The 57-56 victory is the Wildcats eleventh overall win this season and their fifth in MIAC play. With two games left to play, St. Kate's has already tied their conference win record from last year and surpassed their overall win total from 2014-15. 

Holt led St. Kate's in scoring despite her cold first half. She finished the game with 19 points, 15 of which were scored in the second half. Audra Clark and Horsch both finished with 11, while Mari Lee (Dawson, Minn. / Dawson-Boyd) added eight. The two teams combined for 39 turnovers. The Wildcats forced 23 turnovers on the defensive end and only committed 16 themselves.

After home games on Monday and Wednesday, the Wildcats hit the road this weekend as they head to Macalester for a 3 p.m. game against the Scots on Saturday. Then, St. Kate's will return for their final home game of 2015-16, when they play host to Concordia College-Moorhead next Wednesday at 7 p.m.