Made my way over to the Butler Center on this Wednesday evening to take in this intriguing UMAC/MIAC clash between visiting Northwestern and host St. Kate's. This promised to be a fun one to watch as both squads have an ability to light up the scoreboard like a pinball machine with prolific three-point threats. The Eagles, of course, were coming off a terrific season last year with a UMAC Championship and a trip to the Big Dance but had been hitting some stumbling blocks in the early part of the season. The Wildcats lost a tough one on the road at GAC last weekend so they were looking to bounce back in this important non-conference match-up.
It was all St. Kate's in the early going of this one as the 'Cats raced to an 8-0 lead by the 16:40 mark behind scores from flashy sophomore guard/forward LaShay Holt and fellow sophomore forward Kennedy Jennings. Northwestern, meanwhile, struggled mightily not only with their shooting touch but also just trying to keep possession of the ball as the Eagles were plagued by numerous turnovers in the games opening minutes. A Holt "3" from the right top area at the 15:33 mark plus two free throws by the former St. Paul Humboldt product along with a nice drive and finish off the glass by freshman guard Meg Clark propelled St. Kate's to a 15-3 lead before Northwestern began to slowly get untracked. An offensive rebound and putback by lanky senior post Jacki Smith at the 10:11 mark and a Smith jumper from the right corner with 9:37 left had the Eagles back to within eight trailing 15-7 and a "3" from the right wing area by sophomore guard Tiffany Stubbs cut the Wildcats lead to 15-10.
A score in the paint by Jennings with 8:46 left along with a jumper from the left elbow area by freshman guard Audra Clark with 7:34 left upped the St. Kate's lead to 19-10 before Northwestern could make another push. A jumper from Stubbs from the right wing area with 7:22 left along with free throws from sophomore reserve post Rachel Hart and senior guard Chanel Madson had the Eagles back to within four trailing 19-15. A Madson jumper from the left wing with 5:03 left along with a free throw by junior post Regan Cooper brought Northwestern to within one trailing 19-18 with 4:42 left. Seeing their once-sizable lead gone, the Wildcats promptly went back to work. Two treys from senior reserve sharpshooter Mary Neumann - one from the right corner with 3:22 left and the other from the top of the key with 2:39 left - helped push the St. Kate's lead back to six at 25-20 and a Holt "3" from the right wing area with 1:47 left made it a 28-20 game. Stubbs would get two charity stripe shots to go down with :18 left so while the six-point deficit at halftime certainly wasn't bad for Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl, you knew he'd have something to say about the early turnovers that arguably left some points off the board for the Eagles in the first half. And the ice-age shooting for Northwestern in the first half (6-31 FG for 19.4% and 2-20 from three-point land for 10%) was going to have to warm up considerably. Meanwhile, for St. Kate's, they were getting pounded on the boards (a 32-18 advantage for the Eagles here) and St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton was not happy about it.
The Wildcats were off to another hot start once the second half got underway. Jennings scored off of an inbounds pass at the 18:12 mark and then also connected with a short shot at the 17:23 mark for a 32-24 St. Kate's lead. Holt's athleticism and speed allowed her to snare a steal and race the other way for a lay-up at the 17:00 mark for a ten-point 34-24 lead and Meg Clark drilled a "3" from the left wing at the 16:09 mark for a 37-24 'Cat lead. Northwestern's Kahl avoided reaching for the panic button just yet as Stubbs connected with a "3" from the top of the key at the 15:46 mark and struck again at the 15:08 mark with a "3" from the left top area that had the Eagles back to within single digits trailing 39-30. But a lay-up by Holt with 14:22 left plus a "3" from Audra Clark from the left top area riddled Northwestern's 2-3 zone defense to shambles and Kahl immediately called a halt to the action as the Eagles found themselves down by fourteen at 44-30.
St. Kate's would push the lead to as much as sixteen points on three occasions within the next four minutes and the Wildcats appeared to be on their way to getting an easy win. But Northwestern would gradually pull themselves back into this one. A Madson "3" from the left top area at the 10:52 mark along with a Smith score in the paint at the 10:22 mark sliced the deficit to fourteen at 51-37. Then, with 8:24 left Madson struck again from three-point land; this one from the right top area and a "3" from junior guard Kim Campbell from the right corner had the Eagles back to within ten trailing 53-43. A 6-0 push by the 'Cats; fueled by a jumper in the lane by Holt with 7:37 left along with a steal by Meg Clark that was immediately fed to twin sister Audra Clark for a score in the paint put St. Kate's up by sixteen at 59-43 with 5:59 left but Northwestern was not done yet. Scores in the paint by Smith and Campbell cut the deficit to twelve at 64-52 and a Smith jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc that kissed off the glass perfectly had the Eagles back to within ten at 64-54. Madson was fouled from behind the arc with :51.7 left and she calmly sank three free throws that now had Northwestern back to within single digits trailing 64-57. Jennings hauled in a long pass and put in an easy shot to up the Wildcat lead back to 66-57 but Madson banged home a "3" from the right wing with :32 left that brought the Eagles back to within six points trailing 66-60 and suddenly there was reason for nervousness inside the Butler Center. But now Northwestern was forced to foul and they wasted little time in sending freshman Audra Clark to the line. But the former Kenyon-Wanamingo product; fresh off of a state title game appearance last season, was calm and collected and she cooly sank two free throws. Madson missed a late lay-up attempt and St. Kate's recorded a 68-60 win.
A disappointed Kahl admitted afterward that the slow start his squad endured cost them despite the fact that they were able to get back into it later on in the first half. They left a lot of points off the board early on and one can only wonder how the complexion of the game might have been changed had they avoided the horrendous start. The Wildcats were still outrebounded in this one and that did not sit well with Pinkerton who used the term "ugly" more than once when describing this win. Still, it's a win and the victory pushes St. Kate's record to 6-2 on the year and the 'Cats seem to be gaining more and more confidence with each contest.
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