ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Saturday's game against Concordia was another Butler Center nail-biter. On the bright side, St. Kate's played really well against a very strong opponent who had won their last nine games; they shot 47% from the field and outrebounded the Cobbers 33-22.  On the not-bright side, it was an excruciating loss that saw Concordia shoot an eye-popping 56% from beyond the arc and make 11 of 15 free throws (while St. Kate's had a modest 2 of 3 from the line). Karis Zezza had an excellent game: she ran the point effectively, scored 13 and had 4 steals.  Sam Orth put together her second straight double-double, scoring 12 and pulling down 10 boards. Bree Glynn scored 12 and had 9 rebounds.

The first quarter was played at a fast clip. Bree Glynn started the scoring with a crafty post move and a Rachel Randleman three quickly put the Wildcats up 5-0.  The Cobbers hung with them: they kept the game within that 5-point margin for the duration of the quarter. When Karis Zezza went end-to-end and scored to close the period, it gave St. Kate's a 20-16 lead. To open the second, Concordia hit a three-pointer; but nice baskets by Zezza, Shchimnowski and Orth put St. Kate's up 26-21.  Another layup by Sam Orth, halfway through the quarter gave them a 7-point advantage. Although Concordia cut the lead to a single basket, six unanswered points by the Wildcats to close the half sent them into the locker room up 39-31.

After a slow start to the third, the Wildcats heated up. When Bree Glynn found a cutting Sydney Elliot, the Wildcats took a 50-39 lead. The Cobbers tried to keep up, but threes by Schimnowski and Randleman helped St. Kate's finish the quarter up by a dozen. A Sam Orth layup at the start of the final frame put them up 59-45.  The Cobbers hit some jumpers, but a Karis Zezza layup with six and a half minutes left put the Wildcats back up by 11. Then, the fates turned cruel: the Cobbers scored from distance, down low and from the line.  Although the home crowd thrilled at Rachel Randleman's three that put St. Kate's ahead 66-61 with less than 90 seconds remaining, it wasn't enough. A layup and three for the Cobbers tied it. And when they hit a free throw with under 4 seconds on the clock, they took their first lead of the game. St Kate's got off a good shot to try for the win, but it was not to be.

The Wildcats will travel to Bethel on Wednesday, for a 7 pm game.