ST. PAUL, MINN. – It was a night to remember for the St. Catherine University basketball team and their senior guard
Shauna Horsch (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley). After three straight wins last week, two against Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opponents, the Wildcats were looking to honor their senior and keep their winning streak alive with a victory over Concordia Moorhead. That is exactly what St. Kate's did. Fueled by offensive firepower and strong defense, the Wildcats beat the visiting Cobbers 78-64 in the final home game of the season.
Concordia and St. Kate's were two of the hottest teams in the MIAC coming into Wednesday night's game. The Cobbers were coming off a 61-50 win over Saint Benedict and had won seven of their last eight games. The Wildcats were riding high off their 3-0 week, capped off by a huge 81-57 win over Macalester.
St. Kate's picked up right where they left off on Saturday. The Wildcats jumped out to a 41-33 lead after the first half behind scoring from
LaShay Holt (Minneapolis, Minn. / Humboldt) and
Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn. / Kenyon-Wanamingo). Clark jump started the Wildcat offense in the first quarter, scoring 10 points off five quick layups, while Holt was nearly perfect from the field. She finished with a team leading 12 points after going 3-3 from the field in the first quarter with two layups and a three-pointer.
The Wildcat defense was also strong in the first half of the ball game. The St. Kate's defenders, led by junior
Kennedy Jennings (Grimes, Iowa / Dallas Center-Grimes), had eight steals in the first half and forced 13 Cobber turnovers.
St. Kate's 13 point lead at the half almost didn't seem like enough. Concordia opened the third quarter with a 5-0 run and seemed to be gaining momentum after a 3-point play on the baseline. However, Horsch quickly put a stop to the Cobbers hopes. The senior made two big threes from the top of the key just as Concordia was starting to cut into the Wildcats lead.
St. Kate's closed the third quarter with an 11-0 run and held a 64-45 lead with only one quarter left to play. Concordia tried to cut down the lead by changing defensive schemes, and while they were able to force some Wildcat turnovers, they never came close to touching St. Kate's lead.
Clark led the team in scoring with 21 points and three assists. Horsch also had a fantastic night, scoring 17 points with five assists, one block, and one steal. Holt finished the game with 16 points and led the team with 8 rebounds.
With the 78-64 win over the Cobbers, St. Kate's has now won three games in a row against MIAC opponents for the first time since 2014-15. The Wildcats closed last season with wins over Macalester, Hamline, and Saint Mary's to finish with their best record in four years. This year's St. Kate's team has already eclipsed that mark. Their 7-10 record against MIAC opponents is the team's best since the 2008-09 season when they went 12-10 in conference play.
The win also guarantees that the Wildcats will finish the season with a record above .500 for the first time in head coach
Sean Pinkerton's tenure. Their current overall record of 13-11 is already the best in program history since the same 2008-09 season when St. Kate's had an overall record of 15-10.
The Wildcats look to win their fourteenth game of the regular season, and fifth in a row, when they play St. Olaf in Northfield on Saturday. The game against the Oles, which tips off at 3 p.m., will be St. Kate's final game of the 2015-16 season.
