After becoming the first #6 seed in MIAC history to win a first round playoff game, the Wildcats gave the #1 seed College of St. Benedict (CSB) a scare, forcing overtime before falling 69-61 in the semifinal matchup.
St. Kate’s fell behind 16-20 with 9:19 remaining in the first half before Sonja Ellingson made a layup to spark a 19-3 Wildcat run. The offensive run included two three pointers from Laura Kalbfell, two jumpers by Amy Battey and a couple of rebounds and a steal by Jenna Olson. The run concluded with a Kalbfell jumper with 27 seconds left, extending the Wildcat lead to 35-23 at halftime.
The Wildcats were able to widen their lead to 41-25 before St. Ben’s started to show why they earned the #1 seed. In over a six minute span, CSB held St. Kate’s to 3 points while they chipped the Wildcats’ lead to 7. St. Ben’s took a 47-46 lead with 7:42 remaining, but SCU continued to battle, trading the lead with the Blazers over the next seven minutes. With 17 seconds left the Wildcats were down by three, 55-58, when Amy Battey drained a three pointer to force overtime.
Overtime did not go St. Kate’s way, as their shots could not find the bottom of the net. Battey made a jump shot to tie the score at 60-60, but the Wildcats were not able to grab the lead, as the Blazers continued to convert their field goals to take the win.
Kalbfell recorded a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Battey finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds, while Molly Peterson had 11 points. Olson had 8 rebounds and 6 assists.
Box Score
photos from the game are available here
the MIAC Women's Basketball playoff page is available here