St. Paul, Minn. – The Macalester College women's basketball team played their first conference game of the season this afternoon, hosting Saint Mary's University. The game was competitive, but the Scots ended up on the wrong side of a 63-58 score line. The Scots are now 1-2 (0-1 MIAC).
 
The first quarter began as a back-and-forth battle. While the Cardinals got out to a 4-0 lead, the Scots answered back quickly. Senior guard Celine Sabbagh (Eau Claire, Wis./Regis) scored the first eight points for the Scots, to level the game at eight with 5:10 left in the quarter. The Scots then took the lead from a three-point shot from Junior guard Solana Cushing (Minneapolis, Minn./South). However, the Cardinals went on an 11-4 run to take back the lead, 19-15 at the break.
 
Macalester answered back, going on a 7-0 run to start the second quarter. The quarter was competitive, both teams playing great defense and knocking down shots. The Scots made six defensive rebounds in the quarter, to keep themselves in the game and go into the break up 34-31. First year guard/forward Peyton Starks (St. Louis, MO./John Burroughs School) added six points to the quarter.
 
In the third, sophomore guard Andrea Palmen (Kenosha, Wis./The Prairie School) opened the scoring with a layup. However, the Cardinals went three-for six on three-point shots in the quarter, closing the Scots gap to two at the end of the quarter. Saint Mary's started the fourth quarter on a 9-1 run, taking the lead back from the Scots. Despite the Scots efforts, the Cardinals maintained the lead and took the game, 63-58.
 
Sabbagh led the team with 17 points, while Cushing was right behind her with 15. The Scots went 12-for-23 on free throws. On the other side of the court, the Scots made 30 defensive rebounds, eight of which came from junior forward Emma LaFrenz (Edina, Minn./Edina). LaFrenz had a total of 11 rebounds on the night.
 
Macalester's next game is set for Tuesday, Nov 23 at 5:15 p.m. The Scots will travel to Moorehead to take on Concordia.