St. Paul, Minn. – The Macalester College women's basketball team played their home opener of the 2021-22 season against Northland College. The Scots took the victory 74-45. Macalester is now 1-1-0.
 
The Scots dominated the first quarter outscoring the Lumberjills 26-9. Sophomore guard Andrea Palmen (Kenosha, Wis./The Prairie School) and first year guard Catherine Driver (Cloverdale, Calif./Cloverdale) led the team each scoring six points in the quarter. Junior guard Solana Cushing (Minneapolis, Minn./South) led the Scots in assists with three. In the second quarter, the Lumberjills put the pressure on the Scots, going on a 14 to eight run. The Scots' strong defensive play kept Macalester in the lead, going into the break with an 11-point lead.
 
Macalester took the game to the Lumberjills in the third quarter. Senior guard Celine Sabbagh (Eau Claire, Wis./Regis) scored 13 points, going five-for-five on field goals and three-for-four on free throws in the quarter. The Scots outscored Northland 21 to 11, increasing their lead to 55-34. Macalester worked on the defensive side of the court as well, making five defensive rebounds.
 
First year guard/forward Peyton Starks (St. Louis, MO./John Burroughs School) continued the momentum for the Scots going into the last quarter, opening the scoring for the final 10 minutes with a layup. Starks dropped the most points in the quarter with seven, while a plethora of Scots each earned two points to close out the game with a 74-45 victory.
 
Sabbagh overall led the team in points with a total of 18 on the night, while Palmen had 11 points and first year guard forward Katherine Norquist (Chicago, Ill./Walter Payton College Prep) had 10. Macalester overall made 30 of 62 field goal attempts and 12 for 24 on free throws.
 
Macalester returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 20, where the Scots will host St. Mary's in their first MIAC game of the season. Game time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in the Leonard Center.