Notables:
-CSS had three players with double-digit points
-VanKempen's first double-double of the season
-Largest lead held in the game was six points, by CSS
-Game saw 10 lead changes
NEW ULM, Minn. (csssaints.com) - The St. Scholastica women's basketball team held on late in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night to take a 52-50 win over Martin Luther College in the Saints' first contest of 2018.
First Half
The Saints struck first with a layup from Michala Walther (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) a minute into the game, followed by a 3-pointer in Rashonna Thomas (Minneapolis, Minn./Columbia Heights HS (Anoka-Ramsey CC)) to put the Saints up by five. The Knights (4-9, 2-3 UMAC) answered with six points of their own to take the lead. A Walther 3-pointer gave the lead back to the Saints, and the Knights would not get ahead again until the second quarter. The last five minutes of the half saw both teams evenly matched in points, with MLC only outscoring the Saints 6-4. The half ended with the Knights leading by three, with the score at 23-20.
Second Half
The Knights held the lead for the first few minutes of the third quarter, but it was a close matchup. The remainder of the quarter saw four lead changes, ending with the Knights up by one, and neither team able to make a run of points.
The Saints made their best push in the fourth quarter, taking the lead back from MLC thanks to a basket from Holly VanKempen (Elbow Lake, Minn./West Central HS). The Saints would hold the lead for the rest of the game. With 34 seconds left on the clock, a free throw from Danielle Cieluch (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) put the Saints up by six points. The Knights followed up with a 3-pointer from Grace Schultz. Schultz then stole the ball on the Saints' possession and fed it to Faith Otte who made the layup on a fastbreak with 18 seconds left, shrinking the point deficit to one point. VanKempen hit a free throw to put the Saints up by two with eight seconds left, giving the game its final score of 52-50
Notable Performances
Leading the offense for CSS was Walther with 14 points - her seventh double-digit-point game of the season. VanKempen was behind her with 12 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Thomas also hit double digits with 10 points.
For the Knights, Jade St. Germaine had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Grace Schultz was just behind her, hitting 15 points and pulling in 11 rebounds.
Up Next
The Saints (6-6, 2-3 UMAC) hit the court again on Saturday, when they take on the University of Northwestern for an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) matchup. The game is set to begin at 5 p.m in the Reif Gym in Duluth.
