NORTHFIELD, Minn. – First year Rachel Kelly matched her career high with 21 points for the St. Olaf College women's basketball team in a 68-65 loss to the College of Saint Benedict on Wednesday evening at Skoglund Center.

Kelly shot 8-for-15 from the field and was a career-best 3-for-3 from behind the arc on her way to a game-high 21 points for St. Olaf (8-12, 5-10 MIAC), which nearly rallied from a nine-point deficit with 5:36 to go. With Saint Benedict (10-10, 6-9 MIAC) clinging to a two-point lead, the Oles had a chance to tie it or go ahead in the closing seconds, but were unable to get a shot up as the Bennies held on.

Sophomore Camryn Scott joined Kelly in double figures with 12 points for St. Olaf on a night were 10 Oles scored. After shooting 47.6 percent (20-for-42) in the first three quarters, the Oles cooled off to 4-for-15 (26.7 percent) in the final 10 minutes.

Sidney Schiffler led Saint Benedict with 15 points and was 3-for-4 from three-point range. Shae Olsen and Madison Doran added 12 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench for the Bennies, who outrebounded the Oles by a 45-26 margin thanks to 16 rebounds from Alex Johnson.

St. Olaf made five of its first seven shots from the field to jump out to an 11-6 lead over the first four-plus minutes of the game. Kelly scored 11 of the Oles' first 17 points, including a pair of first-quarter three-pointers, but St. Olaf trailed 22-21 after one quarter despite shooting 8-for-13 (61.5 percent) in the opening 10 minutes.

Consecutive three-pointers from sophomores K'Lynn Lewis and Rose Bauernfeind put the Oles back on top, 29-24, three minutes into the second quarter. Saint Benedict responded with a 12-0 run over the next 1:52 to grab its largest lead of the half at 36-29 and took a narrow 40-38 lead at the half.

Back-to-back three-pointers by Schiffler extended the Bennies' lead to eight, 46-38, a little over a minute into the third quarter before St. Olaf scored the next five to get back within three. After Saint Ben's went back up eight, the Oles finished the quarter on a 7-1 run to go into the fourth down two, 54-52.

In the fourth quarter, Johnson split a pair of free throws with 5:36 to go to give the Bennies their largest lead of the night at 65-56. St. Olaf held the visitors scoreless over the next 4:52 as part of a 6-0 run to make it a three-point game in the final minute.

After Megan Thompson sank two free throws to push Saint Ben's lead to five, first year Sophie Olmen hit a three-pointer with 42 seconds left to get it back down to two. The Oles then forced a turnover to get the ball back with 38 seconds to play and, after missing a pair of shots, got two offensive rebounds before turning the ball over with 0.3 ticks to go.

St. Olaf hosts Gustavus Adolphus College on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. to cap a basketball doubleheader at Skoglund Center.