NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women's basketball team outscored Gustavus Adolphus College in the second half but could not recover from a four-point second quarter in a 56-46 loss to the Gusties on Wednesday evening at Skoglund Center.

Gustavus (12-3, 10-2 MIAC) outscored St. Olaf (6-11, 5-9 MIAC) by a 17-4 margin in the second quarter to build a 32-16 halftime lead. The Oles outscored the Gusties in the second half for the second time in as many meetings this season, but could not overcome the 16-point halftime deficit.

Junior Cassie Fix was in double figures for the fifth time in the last six games, scoring a team-high 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting while hauling in six rebounds for the Oles. First year Sarah Tangen added eight points while shooting 2-for-4 from behind the arc.

Anna Sanders was 5-for-8 from behind the arc in the first half, scoring 15 of her game-high 17 points in the opening 20 minutes for Gustavus, which received votes in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25. Emma Kniefel was 7-for-7 at the free-throw line and scored 11 for the Gusties, who got six points and a game-high 10 rebounds from Rachel Kawiecki.

Kniefel had five early points to help Gustavus to an 11-2 start over the first five minutes of the game. Fix scored the first six points of the game for the Oles, who got within a point after back-to-back baskets by first year Paige Yagodinski and Tangen in the final minute of the quarter before Morgan Kelly beat the buzzer on the final possession to give the Gusties a 15-12 lead after 10 minutes.

Sanders made five three-pointers in the second quarter alone, scoring 15 of the visitors' 17 points in the quarter to stretch the Gusties' lead to 32-16 at the half. Gustavus limited St. Olaf to a jumper by junior Sophie Olmen and a pair of free throws by Yagodinski in the quarter.

After shooting just 26.9 percent (7-for-26) from the field in the opening half, the Oles were 5-for-10 in the third quarter and got seven points in the period from Fix. A three-pointer by Fix with four minutes to go in the third cut the Gustavus lead to single digits, 35-26, before the visitors closed the quarter on a 9-4 run to push their lead back to 14 after three.

The Gusties pushed their lead up to 51-34 with 4:30 to go in the fourth quarter before the Oles scored 12 of the game's final 17 points down the stretch. Tangen hit a pair of three-pointers in the final quarter and St. Olaf held Gustavus to three made field goals in the period.

The Oles host Hamline on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 1 p.m. at Skoglund Center.