SUPERIOR, Wis. -- Despite having only 8 active players, the Finlandia Lions outlasted the Wildcats in a back and forth battle on New Year's Eve by a final score of 91-82. Both teams shot 39% from the floor and there were eight lead changes in the contest, but Finlandia point guard Natalie Bartle (33 points) was too much for the St. Kate's defense.
The Wildcats received strong contributions from their senior leaders:
Sam Orth had a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds, and
Bree Glynn nearly had one with 18 points and 9 rebounds.
Finlandia opened the game with a 15-4 run. The Wildcats struggled with turnovers, committing 5 in the first four and a half minutes. But five Wildcat points in the last half minute of the frame cut into Finlandia's lead making the score 15-9. After the Lions went up 20-9 in the opening minutes of the second quarter, St. Kate's went on a 19-5 run including a strong and-one by
Kaylee Miron to give the Wildcats the lead. The last points of the first half came from a three pointer by the Lions that tied the score at 30.
After a third-quarter opening run of 8-0 run by the Wildcats, the Lions went on an 8-0 run of their own. They then built a 9-point lead with 30 seconds left in the quarter. A
Kaylee Miron jumper and a
Karis Zezza layup once again made it a 5-point game going into the fourth. Despite the fact that two of their best players (Bartle and Baldwin) were saddled with four fouls each, it looked like the Lions would escape with a victory in regulation. But after they missed a pair of free throws to ice it,
Karis Zezza hit a very long range three pointer with just seconds left, and that forced overtime. The teams were still knotted after one OT, but Finlandia pulled away for the win, outscoring the Wildcats 18-9 in the second extra period.
