NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Visiting St. Catherine University outscored the St. Olaf College women's basketball team by a 45-19 margin in the second half of a 78-49 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) victory on Saturday afternoon at Skoglund Center.
After a strong second quarter, St. Olaf (2-9, 1-6 MIAC) trailed St. Kate's (7-4, 5-3 MIAC) by just three at halftime before the Wildcats ran away with the win in the second half. St. Kate's shot just 33.3 percent (10-for-30) in the opening half before connecting at a 51.7 percent (15-for-29) clip in the second half while forcing 15 second-half turnovers.
Hattie Fox led all scorers with 22 points to go with eight rebounds for the Wildcats, going 5-for-7 from the field and 11-for-11 at the free-throw line in the win. Emme Golembiewski, Rachel Randleman, and Kaylee Miron all had 11 points for the visitors, who outscored the Oles by a 21-3 margin at the charity stripe in the game.
Junior
Paige Yagodinski was the lone double-figure scorer for St. Olaf and had all 10 of her points in the first half. Junior
Ziling Zhen added nine points, three rebounds, and four assists, while classmate
Sophia Kormann added eight points and five rebounds. First year
Chloee Smith provided five points, a team-high 10 rebounds, a team-best five assists, and four blocks off the bench.
On the strength of a 10-0 start over the first two minutes, St. Kate's led 21-11 after the opening quarter. Fox led the way with 11 points in the first 10 minutes, as St. Olaf shot just 25.0 percent (4-for-16) in the early stages.
In the second quarter, the Oles held the Wildcats to 25.0 percent (3-for-12) shooting to draw within 33-30 at the halftime break. St. Kate's held a 28-18 lead midway through the quarter before St. Olaf closed the quarter on a 12-5 run to make it a three-point game. Yagodinski had seven of her 10 points in the second quarter, including back-to-back baskets in the final minute.
Seven Wildcats scored in the third quarter to help the visitors extend their lead to 57-43 heading into the fourth quarter. St. Kate's started the third on a 9-0 run over the first 2:23 and led by double figures the rest of the way.
St. Olaf hosts Concordia-Moorhead on Wednesday, Jan. 10 in a 5:15 p.m. start in the first game of a MIAC doubleheader at Skoglund Center.
