BABSON PARK, Fla. — The St. Catherine University basketball team improved to 2-0 on the season with a 64-54 victory over Webber International University on Saturday at the Sabbagh Athletic Center. The Wildcats overcame a halftime deficit and used a strong second-half performance to secure their second consecutive win.
Hattie Fox led the Wildcats with a game-high 24 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, shooting 8-for-14 from the field and 6-for-8 from the free-throw line. Jordyn Peed added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Elle Covey contributed 11 points off the bench. Lily Peper pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and dished out four assists.
St. Catherine opened the contest with a 10-5 advantage following a layup from Fox with 7:21 remaining in the first quarter. Webber International responded with an 8-0 run to take a 13-10 lead before Liz Kyles connected on a three-pointer to even the score. The Warriors closed the quarter with five unanswered points to take a 21-16 lead into the second period.
Both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter as the Wildcats held Webber International to just seven points. After trailing by as many as seven, St. Catherine received a three-pointer from Fox and a late basket from Covey to cut the deficit to 28-26 at halftime.
The Wildcats began to find their rhythm in the third quarter, particularly over the final three minutes. Trailing 38-34, St. Catherine put together a 9-0 run sparked by two free throws from Covey and a game-tying layup from Peed. Peper followed with a pair of free throws to give the Wildcats their first lead since the opening quarter, and Kate Flicek knocked down a three-pointer with 46 seconds remaining to extend the advantage to 43-38. The Wildcats carried a 43-39 lead into the final period.
Webber International battled back in the fourth quarter, tying the contest at 47-47 with 6:19 remaining. St. Catherine responded immediately as Peed scored three consecutive points before Fox added a pair of free throws to build a five-point advantage.
The Wildcats continued to pull away down the stretch. Fox added a layup, Peed connected from beyond the arc, and Covey contributed another basket to extend the lead to 59-51 with under three minutes remaining. Fox scored five of St. Catherine's final seven points to seal the 64-54 victory.
St. Catherine shot an efficient 50 percent from the field (22-for-44), including 45.5 percent from three-point range (5-for-11). The Wildcats also held a 33-30 rebounding advantage and recorded 19 assists on 22 made field goals. The Wildcats scored 28 points in the paint and received 14 points from their bench while limiting Webber International to 37.9 percent shooting from the field.
The Wildcats will face former rival, University of St. Thomas on Tuesday for an exhibition at Lee and Penny Anderson Arena. The match up is the first time the two former conference foes since February 25, 2020 as the Tommies moved to Division I, leaving the MIAC.
