ST. PAUL, MINN. – There was a lot of excitement and questions surrounding the St. Catherine University basketball team entering the 2017-18 season. The Wildcats were coming off their best season in program history where they qualified for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) playoffs for the first time in 10 plus years. However, there were plenty of question marks entering the season opener as well, with new head coach Don Mulhern making his St. Kate's debut. The Wildcats silenced those question in their season opener with a rousing 69-51 win over the University of Northwestern-St. Paul.

St. Kate's made quite the impression in its first game of 2017-18, especially senior guard Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn. / Kenyon-Wanamingo) and sophomore forward Danica Cambrice (St. Paul, Minn. / St. Croix Lutheran). In fact, both either tied or set at least one career high Wednesday night, pacing the Wildcats on both the offensive and defensive end of the ball.

After earning All-MIAC honors as a junior, Clark made quite the statement in the season opener, as she tied her career high with 26 points in 29 minutes of play, including 17 in the first half. The senior was 6-10 from the floor in the first 20 minutes of play, helping St. Kate's hold a 36-31 lead at half time. Cambrice was no slouch either, as she was equally spectacular on the floor. The sophomore recorded her first double-double of the season, as she pulled in a team-leading 12 rebounds and scored a career high 21 points in the game.

Despite the final score, the game was much closer in the first half. The Wildcats led by as much as 10 in the first quarter thanks, in large part, to Clark's 13 points. However, the Eagles managed to chip away at St. Kate's lead in the second quarter, whittling it down to just three points in the closing minute. A steal and layup from Cambrice, though, put the Wildcats back up by five, resulting in the team's 36-31 lead at the half.

St. Kate's had a hot hand to open the second half, which stopped any thoughts of a comeback from Northwestern. Clark, Alexis Garcia (Minnetonka, Minn. / Hopkins) and Cambrice each scored in the opening minute of the third quarter to extend the Wildcats lead to 42-31. Although the Eagles managed to score one basket in there, St. Kate's scored six of the next 10 points, jumping ahead 48-35 midway through the quarter.

Still, Northwestern made things interesting, as it once again mounted a comeback late in the quarter. The Eagles scored five points on two free throws and a three-pointer to cut the Wildcats lead to 48-40. After a timeout and pep talk from Mulhern, St. Kate's went out and rattled off five straight points, four of which were scored by Clark, to retake a substantial 53-40 lead.

The Wildcats dominated in the fourth, as they scored 16 points compared to Northwestern's 11, resulting in the 69-51 final score. Clark tied her career-high with 26 points in the game, while Cambrice set a career-high in points (21) and pulled in a team-leading 12 rebounds in the game. Jackie Radford (St. Paul, Minn. / Cretin-Derham Hall) and Garcia each added six points as well.

Thanks to the dominant win, St. Kate's opens the season with a 1-0 record for the second consecutive season. The Wildcats will travel to Portland, Oregon for their second and third games of the season, as they participate in the Lewis and Clark Opening Tournament. St. Kate's is set to play host Lewis and Clark at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Linfield and 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 19.