ST. PETER, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women's basketball team fell to Gustavus Adolphus, 64-58, in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) contest Wednesday evening at Gus Young Court.
Senior
Makenna Ash recorded her sixth double-double of the season and first year
K'Lynn Lewis led St. Olaf (4-6, 2-2) with 18 points, but Gustavus (6-4, 3-1) outscored the Oles 45-38 in the second half and forced 26 turnovers compared to just 13 committed by the Gusties.
Lewis added seven rebounds and three assists to her 18 points, Ash registered 15 points,11 rebounds, and 6 blocks, and junior
Ella Skrien posted 11 points and four assists.
Both teams remained scoreless for the first 4:39 of the contest until Alison Hinck of Gustavus sank a jumper to account for the first points of the contest. The Oles took their first lead of the game at 3:30, as Ash finished a basket inside, making the score 4-2.
In the second quarter, St. Olaf took its largest lead of the half with a fast-break jumper from Lewis, giving the Oles an 11-6 lead. The Gusties answered with a 10-2 run, regaining the lead and extending it to three after Paige Richert finished a bucket.
With 29 seconds remaining in the half, Skrien found Ash inside, putting the Oles on top heading into the half at 20-19.
Gustavus opened the second half with a 12-3 run, taking an eight-point lead with 7:04 remaining in the third period. As just under five minutes remained in the quarter, the Oles climbed within four with a basket by Lewis, making the score 35-31.
After trailing by as many as 10, junior
Britta Koenen sank a three-pointer to bring St. Olaf within five heading into the final quarter at 45-40.
A 15-5 run in the fourth quarter by the Gusties gave them their largest lead of 15 with 5:36 remaining. The Oles responded with an 11-2 run, cutting the deficit to six after a three-pointer from Skrien with 21 seconds remaining in the contest, but Gustavus held on the rest of the way.
St. Olaf shot 47.8 percent from the floor, compared to just 38.1 percent from Gustavus and tallied 28 rebounds, while the Gusties posted 23.
The Oles are back to action Sunday, Dec. 30 as they host Bethany Lutheran in a non-conference matchup at 5 p.m.
