ST. PAUL, Minn.  -- St. Kate's and Carleton finally met face-to-face Wednesday evening—the Knights had forfeited their November matchup due to players' unavailability. Both teams entered the contest having won two of their last three, so a close game was expected…but this one was a real gut-twister.  When the dust settled (and the stomachs settled), the resilient Wildcats had pulled off a 70-67 win.  Sam Orth led the scoring with 14 points; she also pulled down 10 rebounds to notch the double-double. Rachel Randleman scored 12, and Greta Schimnowski, Emme Golembiewski, and Bree Glynn each had 11. 

Things started well for St. Kate's: when Sam Orth hit Rachel Randleman on a back door cut halfway through the first quarter, they took an 8-4 lead. A bucket by Maddie Young in the final minute of the frame gave them a 9-point lead. Things looked even better midway through the second quarter: Rachel Randleman hit her second three-pointer and Bree Glynn hit a close jumper to make it 23-8.  But then momentum swung, as Jasmine Choi scored 9-points for the Knights in less than two minutes, and turnovers and missed free throws by St. Kate's let the Knights back into it.  At the break, the Wildcats held only a 27-23 lead.

The momentum stayed with the Knights to start the third. They started the quarter with a 10-2 run that staked them to a 4-point lead.  St. Kate's answered. A pair of free throws by Sam Orth tied the score at 33 with six minutes left in the quarter, and one minute later, an Emme Golembiewski layup gave them a 2-point advantage. In the last minute of the third, however, the Knights put in 6 free throws to take a 52-48 lead.  To start the fourth, Greta Schimnowski hit a jumper to cut the deficit to 2. Carleton then rallied and took a 9-point lead with just 5:37 left in the game. Now it was the Wildcats' turn to scrap back: they moved the ball effectively and when Greta Schimnowski found Emme Golembiewski for a layup with two and a half minutes left, the score was tied at 65. Choi then scored (giving her 22 for the game) to put Carleton back up.  Then, with a little over a minute to go, Greta SchimWOWski answered with a huge three to give the lead back to the home team. Tight defense and a couple of free throws sealed the victory.

The Wildcats next play on Saturday, 3 pm, at home against Concordia College.