MIAC Release

BLOOMINGTON, MINN. – The St. Catherine University basketball team started the second half of the season on the right foot, so to speak. The Wildcats went 2-1 in their first three games of the new semester, highlighted by a huge Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) win over Saint Mary's University last Wednesday. A key player in St. Kate's success was none other than senior Alexis Garcia (Minnetonka, Minn. / Hopkins), who was recognized as the MIAC Women's Basketball Athlete-of-the-Week on Monday.

Since losing Audra Clark (Kenyon, Minn. / Kenyon-Wanamingo) and Danica Cambrice (St. Paul, Minn. / St. Croix Lutheran) to injury, the senior forward-turned-guard has played a huge role in St. Kate's offense, none more so than last week. Garcia averaged a career-high 21.3 points in three games while scoring 64 total points and pulling in 17 rebounds. In the Wildcats 63-53 win over UM-Morris on December 30, Garcia put together what was then her best performance of the season, as she pulled in a career-high eight rebounds and tied her career high in points with 21.

Garcia saved her best performance for the game against Saint Mary's, as she accounted for 41% of St. Kate's offense in the stunning 63-59 victory. The senior scored a career-high 26 points, including 10 in the first quarter alone, on 9-18 shooting from the floor and 5-6 shooting from the free throw line. She also made several clutch baskets, including the go-ahead three in the final minutes of play to officially put the game out of reach for the Cardinals. She concluded her week with a 17 point performance in a 65-57 loss to Bethel.  

This is the first MIAC honor for Garcia in her St. Kate's career. She is also the second Wildcat to earn MIAC Athlete-of-the-Week honors this season, as Cambrice earned the honor on December 18.