ST. Paul, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict basketball team picked up its first MIAC win of the year in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon when it defeated St. Kate's 73-70 in St. Paul, Minn.
 
The Wildcats (6-3, 1-2 MIAC) led by three, 65-62, with 2:56 left after LaShay Holt hit a pair of free throws. Mattie Lueck converted back-to-back three-point plays to swing the momentum and put CSB up 68-65 with 1:47 remaining, but Holt cut that lead to one thanks to a pair of free throws with 1:33 left to play.
 
Elena Koch scored to give Saint Benedict a three-point lead with 1:11 left, but Holt tied the game at 70 with just over a minute left in the game. Lueck broke the tie and put CSB up 72-70 with 41 seconds left, and Holt missed a three with 17 seconds remaining to give the Blazers the ball. Annie Dittberner pulled down the rebound and was fouled, and she made a single free throw to push the Blazers' lead to three.
 
Dittberner missed her second shot and Holt pulled down the rebound, but she missed a three with two seconds left on the clock and CSB held on for the win.
 
The Blazers (4-4, 1-2 MIAC) and St. Kate's exchanged the lead several times early in the game, but CSB led by five, 12-7, with 14:52 left in the first thanks to a three by Abby Miller, and another 3-pointer by Miller made it 20-11 with 9:36 remaining in the half. Another three by Miller, a layup by Macy Kelly and a jumper by Lueck pushed the Blazers' lead back to nine, 28-19, with 6:08 left in the first, but from there the Wildcats went on a 7-0 run to cut CSB's lead to two, 28-26, with 4:21 left in the half.
 
The Wildcats took a one-point lead with 2:45 left in the half thanks to a three by Kennedy Jennings, and St. Kate's went on a 7-0 run to end the half up 35-30.
 
Baskets by Mattie and Emily Lueck cut St. Kate's lead to one, 35-34, early in the second, but the Wildcats pushed their lead to nine, 45-36, with 14:55 left to play. From there, however, Koch scored four straight baskets and Emily Lueck added a basket in a 10-0 run that ended with a 47-45 lead for the Blazers with 11:45 remaining in the game. The Wildcats hung around, and the Blazers led by as many as six, 55-49, with 7:12 left before the Wildcats made a final push for the win.
 
Mattie Lueck finished with 21 points to lead CSB, which shot better than 50 percent from the field. She also had eight rebounds and six assists. Miller and Koch added 12 points and Ditterberner finished with nine. The Blazers went 8-for-13 from the line and 37 rebounds and 22 turnovers.
 
Holt paced St. Kate's with 24 points and eight rebounds. Jennings added 16 points and nine rebounds, Audra Clark finished with 12 points and Shauna Horsch chipped in with 10 points. The Wildcats shot 36.7 percent from the field, went 20-for-23 from the line and had 34 rebounds and 19 turnovers.
 
The Blazers are off now until Dec. 29 when they travel to Waverly, Iowa, to take on Wartburg in its holiday tournament. CSB plays Wartburg the Dec. 29 and a second game on Dec. 30.