ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The University of Northwestern women's basketball team welcomed St. Catherine University to the Ericksen Center for Monday night non-conference action. In a back-and-forth battle that featured six lead changes, the Eagles pulled off a thrilling six point victory over the talented Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opponent. 

Northwestern, led by Head Coach Aaron Kahl (9th season) grabs its first win of the season (1-1 overall), while St. Kate's begins the 2018-19 campaign with an 0-1 mark. In all time head to head records, the Eagles and Wildcats are tied up at two apiece. 

Northwestern set the tone early on, starting the contest on a 5-0 run. It wasn't until the second quarter that St. Kate's came battling back, tying the game at 17 even as the two teams fought for the lead. Freshman guard Kelsea Lund (Madison, Minn./La qui Parle Valley) sent the Eagles into the half on a high note, drawing a foul with four seconds remaining. Lund drained both shots from the charity stripe to give the Eagles a 26-23 advantage heading into the final 20 minutes.

Northwestern orchestrated another strong start in the second half, as Rio Landers (Grand Meadow, Minn./Grand Meadow) and Lund connected on back to back three-pointers to give the Eagles a seven point lead. Again, the Wildcats came storming back – propelled by three shots from beyond the arc and 40% shooting in the third quarter.
 
St. Kate's held Northwestern to just four points in fourth quarter action, but the Eagles managed to hang on. Trailing by two with just over a minute and a half remaining, Kelsea Lund (Madison, Minn./La qui Parle Valley) penetrated the lane, scoring on a jumper with the shot clock expiring to tie it up at 46 all. Amy Berglund (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) had a huge block to avoid a Wildcats basket – and ultimately, send the game into overtime.
 
The Eagles took charge in extra minutes, outscoring the Wildcats 12-6 after making seven of nine shots from the free throw line to clinch the overtime win. Northwestern was led offensively by Rio Landers (Grand Meadow, Minn./Grand Meadow) who finished with 19 points on six of 12 shooting from the field. Landers pulled down nine rebounds.
 
Kelsea Lund (Madison, Minn./La qui Parle Valley) and Jazinae Patterson (Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn) also posted double-digit point totals for the Eagles. Lund finished with 11 points and added three steals. Patterson finished with 10 points on the night. Amy Berglund (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) had a team-best four steals, while Miranda Crenshaw (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) pulled down 10 boards for Northwestern.
 
The Eagles will return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 14 when they travel down Snelling to Hamline University. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. against the Pipers.