ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The Macalester College women's basketball team lost a hard-fought game at the College of St. Benedict, falling in overtime, 63-56 Wednesday evening in Claire Lynch Hall. The Scots are now 5-6 overall and 1-4 in the MIAC, while the Blazers improve to 8-4, 3-2 MIAC.
Macalester started well, with senior guard
Erin Murray (Sparta, Wis./Sparta) scoring five points as the Scots built a 12-2 lead, the largest by any team for the game. St. Benedict closed out the first quarter with an 11-3 run to close the gap to 15-14, eventually taking the lead midway through the second quarter, 25-23. A three from junior guard
Lauren Clamage (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest Academy) and a basket by senior guard
Katelyn Kack (Minneota, Minn./Minneota) before time expired helped the Scots end the half with a 9-5 run to take a 34-30 edge at the break.
The game went back and forth over the third and fourth quarters, with neither team leading by more than three points. Baskets by Alison Newton and Ke'avae Taylor put the Blazers on top, 53-51 with 4:45 remaining in regulation. After both teams failed to score over the next four possessions, sophomore center
Regan Fruh (Helena, Mont./Helena) hit a jumper in the paint to tie the score at 53-53 with two minutes on the clock. Again the teams failed to find the basket over their final possessions, sending the game to overtime.
With the score tied at 55-55 with 3:14 left in the extra session, St. Benedict held the Scots to just one point while scoring eight, including four from the free throw line, to wrap up the conference win. Macalester ended up shooting 32.8 percent from the field for the game, including 0-of-7 in overtime, compared to 38.5 percent for the Blazers.
Murray made 4-of-7 from three-point range en route to a season-high 19 points to lead all players. She also added eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Fruh finished with 12 points, nine boards, three assists and two blocks, while sophomore guard
Vivi Gregorich (Boulder, Colo./Boulder) added eight points, three assists and four steals. Niki Fokken paced the Blazers with 17 points, 12 boards and six blocks.
Macalester takes on St. Kate's in a MIAC game on Saturday, Jan. 9, beginning at 3:00 p.m. in St. Paul. Minn.
