ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester women's basketball team kicked off the new year hosting St. Catherine in a MIAC contest this evening. The Scots fought hard, but the Wildcats took the game 58-38. Macalester drops to 5-6 (2-5 MIAC).

The Scots started the game strong, opening the first quarter with a 10-2 run. Senior guard Andrea Palmen (Kenosha, Wis./The Prairie School) opened the run with a layup assisted by junior guard/forward Katherine Norquist (Chicago, Ill./Walter Payton College Prep). Palmen also knocked in two from beyond the arc and junior guard/forward Peyton Starks (St. Louis, Mo./John Burroughs School) sank two free throws at the tail end of the run. The Wildcats came back however and a successful and-one made by the Wildcats' Hattie Fox at the end of the quarter gave St. Catherine a 16-14 lead after 10 minutes. The Wildcats went on an 8-2 run for the first half of the second quarter, but the Scots closed out the last five minutes with a 6-0 run. Starks, first year guard Mary Daley (Cumberland, R.I./Bishop Feehan), and junior guard Nicole Norton (Brussels, Wis./Southern Door), kept Macalester within two, 24-22 at the end of the half.

First year guard Sydnee Smith (Gainesville, Va./Patriot) tied the game up early in the third, but the Wildcats were hot in the third, shooting 4-for-8 three pointers and making all five free throws to take a 45-26 lead into the final quarter. Starks went on a six-point run to open the fourth and close the gap to 45-32 with 7:57 left on the clock. However, the Wildcats would answer back with a 13-6 run and defeat the Scots 58-38.

Starks led the team with 14 points, including going 6-for-6 from the line. Daley and Norquist both tallied a team high six rebounds. Norquist also registered two blocks on the night.

The Scots' next game will be Saturday Jan 6. Macalester heads to Winona for a MIAC contest against Saint Mary's at 1:00 p.m.