ORANGE, Calif. -- The St. Catherine University basketball team dropped a battle to the Chapman University Panthers on Saturday evening in Orange, California 75-68 led by sophomores Hattie Fox and Lily Peper. 

Fox posted a season-high 18 points with eight rebounds plus two steals while Peper posted a career high 17 point game with one rebound and two assists. Kaylee Miron added nine points and four rebounds as Jordyn Peed added nine shooting 3 for 3 behind the three point line. Greta Schimnowski delivered seven points and six boards just ahead of Maddie Young who shot 100 percent from the charity line with six points and four rebounds. 

The first quarter saw a slow start for both teams as they struggled with missed shots and turnovers. Chapman finally found some momentum, providing crucial points in the paint. Fox and Peper kept the team competitive with a solid jumper and three-pointer, helping them hold a slim lead early on. However, Chapman managed to take control late in the quarter with strong rebounding and timely scoring ending the quarter ahead at 14-10.

In the second quarter, the Panthers extended their lead over the Wildcats with strong inside scoring and defensive rebounds.  St. Kate's struggled with missed layups and turnovers despite good efforts by Fox and Emme Golembieswski, who fought to keep them within reach. The quarter ended with Chapman in control, leading 32-18.

Despite persistence from the Wildcats, Chapman maintained a lead, bolstered by strong three-pointers and layups. Fox managed a last-second three-pointer, ending the third at 53-47, with Chapman up by six.

In a close fourth quarter, St. Catherine fought to maintain a narrow lead but were ultimately edged out by Chapman, who managed to secure the win with a final score of 75-68. Key moments included back-to-back steals and layups by Peper and Schimnowski, keeping the Wildcats within reach. Both teams had multiple turnovers in the last minutes, with Chapman capitalizing on crucial free throws by to extend their lead. Miron and Peed contributed critical points to close the gap, but Chapman's consistent free throws in the final seconds sealed the victory. 

St. Kate's returns to St. Paul for their season opener on Saturday, November 16 hosting the University of River Falls at 3 pm.