NEW ULM, Minn. -- St. Catherine battled through a tight first half and traded momentum swings throughout the night, but a strong second-half surge from Martin Luther handed the Wildcats a 63–56 road loss on Saturday evening.
 
The Wildcats came out sharp, scoring 17 in the first quarter and closing the second frame with a 15–10 advantage to take a 32–28 lead into halftime. St. Kate's forced 10 first-half turnovers and turned several of them into points at the rim.

After the break, the game tightened. The third quarter became a back-and-forth battle with five lead changes and ties sprinkled throughout. St. Kate's briefly stretched the margin to 39–28, thanks to a layup from Kristen Oberle and a three from Hattie Fox. But Martin Luther answered with a run of its own, closing the quarter on a 20–6 run to flip the score and take a 48–45 lead entering the fourth. The Knights carried that momentum into the final frame, while holding St. Kate's scoreless for early stretches of the quarter. 
 
Hattie Fox led the Wildcats with 16 points and nine rebounds, while also adding three steals and going a perfect 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. Rookie Ajiem Agwa matched her point total, finishing with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including a pair of threes. Kate Flicek and Lily Peper each contributed six points, while, Kristen Oberle pulled down seven rebounds. 

The Wildcats open the MIAC season on Wednesday traveling to Moorhead to face the Concordia College Cobbers at 7 pm.