ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College women's basketball team welcomed Saint Mary's into the Leonard Center for a Saturday matinee game, and though they fought hard, the Scots fell short to the Cardinals in the 67-54 MIAC loss. The Scots drop to 8-7 overall and 3-5 in the conference, while Saint Mary's rises to 7-7 overall and 5-3 in the conference.
The Cardinals hopped out to an early 7-0 lead, capped with their first made three-pointer of the afternoon, an omen of what was to come. Senior forward Katherine Norquist (Chicago, Ill./Walter Payton College Prep) pried the lid off the basket for the Scots with a catch-and-shoot free throw line jumper to give Macalester their first points of the game. The Scots started to find ways to score against the Cardinals' aggressive defense, but on the other end, Saint Mary's offense stayed electric as they went three-for-six from behind the arc in the first quarter. Senior guard Peyton Starks (Chicago, Ill./Walter Payton College Prep) kept the lead to single digits to end the quarter by following her own miss inside with two seconds remaining, but the Scots had their work cut out for them down 22-14.
In the second quarter, the Scots' offense hummed as they cut through the Cardinal defense, finding each other inside for easy deuces. Four different Scots registered an assist in the second period. On the other end, though, the Cardinals stayed hot, hitting two-of-three three-pointers to finish the first half five-of-nine from beyond the arc while the Scots went zero-for-five from that range. Despite their cold shooting, Macalester stayed in contact with Saint Mary's, down 35-27 at the break.
The Scots changed the tide in the third quarter. At the 7:25 mark, sophomore guard Mary Daley (Cumberland, R.I./Bishop Feehan) connected on the Scots' first three-pointer of the game, then stole the ball on the other end and launched it downcourt to sophomore guard Sydnee Smith (Gainesville, Va./Patriot) for the fast break lay-in to cut the lead to two. Macalester's defense became more aggressive as Smith hounded the Cardinals' ball handlers in the backcourt and wreaked havoc in the halfcourt. Sophomore guard Kendall Bernbaum (Dallas, Texas/Shelton School) missed two opportunities to sink a three to tie the game, but after a Cardinals travel, she made good on her efforts. After another stop, Norquist claimed Macalester's first lead of the game with a strong take to the hoop with 2:38 to play in the third. Though the Scots continued to score, they could not gain separation, and the squads went into the final frame knotted at 48-all. Macalester went three-of-five from three in that quarter, winning the battle from distance for the first time all game as the Cardinals went one-of-five.
In the final period, though, the Cardinals rediscovered both their hot hands and defensive clamps from the start of the game. Though they only hit two three-pointers in the fourth, both were back-breakers from the same culprit: Lindsey Lettner. After the Scots cut the lead to three with five minutes to play, both teams went cold until Lettner nailed a long range shot that forced Macalester to call a timeout. Just over a minute later, with the game slipping out of reach, Lettner sank the dagger with her second deep ball of the quarter with under two to play. Lettner went three-for-three from distance on the afternoon. Macalester committed six turnovers while forcing just one en route to a 19-6 quarter.
Starks led the Scots with 18 points and five rebounds. Daley and Smith each scored nine, while Daley added four assists and three steals, and Smith added six boards. Senior guard Nicole Norton (Brussels, Wis./Southern Door) recorded a season-high seven points, five rebounds and two assists. The three three-pointers the Scots made in the third quarter marked their only makes of the game, as they finished 3-of-13 compared to the Cardinals' 8-of-19.
The Scots return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 22 with a road game against Concordia College. The MIAC contest tips off at 7:30 p.m. in Moorhead, Minn.
