ST. PAUL, Minn. – The St. Scholastica women's basketball team traveled to St. Paul tonight to take on the Wildcats from St. Catherine's in a MIAC basketball matchup. CSS trailed by just four points at the half, but a 10-point swing in favor of the Wildcats in the third quarter proved to be the difference, as the Saints came up short in tonight's contest by a score of 68-54.
How it Happened
First Quarter
CSS earned a quick lead in the early seconds of the first quarter, with Kloey Lind (Pine City, Minn./Pine City HS) getting the Saints their first points of the contest on a layup, and Jackie Johnson (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji HS) knocking down a three-pointer to give the Saints an early 5-2 lead.
After the Wildcats reclaimed the lead, three-pointers from Gabby Voigt (St. Michael. Minn./St. Michael- Albertville HS) and Johnson helped push CSS back in front, leading 11-9 with four and a half minutes to play in the quarter.
Both squads went back-and-forth down the final stages of the quarter, as Madison Kenyon (Woodstock, IL/Marian Central Catholic HS) and Daysia Simmons (Albertville, MN/St. Michael HS) both scored for the first time this evening, with the score sitting at 17-16 in favor of the Wildcats to end the first quarter.
Second Quarter
St. Catherine was able to bring their small lead they held to end the quarter to a nine-point lead with a quick 8-0 run.
Down nine, the Saints offense went to work, Lind was able to go two-for-two on a trip to the free throw line, as well as layups from Hope Carlson (Proctor, Minn./Proctor HS) and Jada Bierschbach (Richmond, Minn./Rocori HS), bringing the deficit to 25-22.
Voigt and Ava Haus (St. Michael/St. Michael-Albertville High School) closed out the quarter offensively for the Saints, with Voigt knocking down her second three-pointer of the half, and Haus getting a jumper to fall with less than five seconds to play in the half. The Wildcats held the advantage at the break, leading 31-27 over CSS.
Third Quarter
Haus began the third quarter right where she left off the second, knocking down a key three-pointer to give CSS their first field goal of the second half.
The Wildcats gave themselves a double-digit cushion over the Saints after going on a 14-2 run, leading 47-33 in the final minutes of the quarter.
Lind would be able to add a field goal to put an end to the Wildcats run, but after three quarters of play, St. Catherine held a 49-35 lead over St. Scholastica.
Fourth Quarter
After Voigt nailed her third three-pointer of the contest, Lind added the Saints' next two field goals, trimming the deficit to 53-42.
Johnson and Simmons both got layups to fall midway through the quarter, but the Wildcats kept adding to their lead, as the Saints trailed 60-46.
Bierschbach added a layup at the 2:15 mark in the quarter, which was followed up with a converted and-one from Kenyon, however the Wildcats were beginning to pull away from the Saints.
The Saints would get a late field goal from Kate Toewe (Hibbing, MN/Hibbing HS) in the closing seconds of this one, but the Wildcats came away victorious by a score of 68-54.
Up Next
The Saints (11-11, 8-7 MIAC) will be back in action on Saturday, February 15, where they will host the Cobbers from Concordia-Moorhead at the Reif Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
