MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. – It all comes down to tonight. After nearly four months of games, practices and film sessions, the fate of the St. Catherine University basketball season comes down to one game. No, it's not the last game of the season, but if St. Kate's defeats Augsburg University Wednesday evening, it will punch its ticket to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs for the second consecutive season.
The Wildcats and Auggies are playing for the final spot in the conference tournament, meaning the winner would be the No. 6 seed. If St. Kate's doesn't win Wednesday, there is still a chance the team could qualify for the playoff, but a victory all but guarantees the team's spot in the conference tournament.
Fans who can't make the trek to Minneapolis can watch the Wildcats live online via live stats and video. Score updates can also be found on St. Kate's official Twitter page (@stkateswildcats).
Here are the five things to know before tonight's 7 p.m. tip off:
6 – If the St. Kate's and Augsburg end the season in a tie for sixth place in the MIAC standings, the winner of Wednesday evening's game will earn the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament. According to the MIAC bylaws, the tiebreaker would be head-to-head contests, even if the team's only play one game. As this will be the one and only meeting between the Wildcats and Auggies this season, the winner would have the head to head advantage over the other, thereby earning the berth to the conference tournament.
162 – Last season, St. Kate's won both contests against Augsburg, scoring a combined 162 points in two games. However, both games were won on last second shots, as the Wildcats took the first game 93-91 in overtime before winning game two 69-65. Former guard LaShay Holt was a force to be reckoned with in both games, but especially the second, as she was two rebounds shy of breaking the school record for single-game rebounds (18) in the victory.
8 – Sophomore forward Danica Cambrice (Minneapolis, Minn. / St. Croix Lutheran) will be key to St. Kate's success Wednesday evening. Cambrice has scored in double-digits in eight consecutive games for the Wildcats, marking one of the longest streaks in school history. She's also led the team in scoring in three of the team's four games in February, which includes her game-high 30 points in a win over Hamline this past Saturday. Cambrice also pulled in a team-leading 12 rebounds in the victory and tallied a career-high eight steals.
3 – While St. Kate's carries winning momentum entering Saturday night's game, the Auggies are trying to snap a three-game losing streak, all to MIAC opponents. In order, Augsburg has lost to Concordia (78-74), St. Thomas (70-66) and Saint Ben's (74-58) in the month of February and will close its season with a game against Macalester on Saturday.
4 – While the Auggies have suffered three straight losses, two of those have been by four points or less. In fact, Augsburg led the nationally-ranked Tommies 62-58 with eight seconds remaining in regulation before poor free throw shooting led to a dramatic St. Thomas comeback. Hannah Spaulding made one of two free throws, then Lauren Fischer hit a huge three-pointer with one second on the clock to tie the game 62-62. The Tommies then went on to outscore the Auggies 8-4 in overtime, resulting in the 70-66 loss for Augsburg.
