NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women's basketball team's four senior starters were all in double figures and combined for 61 points in a 75-69 victory over Saint Mary's University (Minn.) on Wednesday night at Skoglund Center.

After rallying from a 19-point deficit after three quarters to win the first meeting between the two teams, Saint Mary's (6-14, 5-12 MIAC) held a 68-67 lead with 1:45 remaining before St. Olaf (10-10, 7-10 MIAC) scored eight of the final nine points to earn a split of the regular-season series. Senior Rachel Kelly made the go-ahead layup with 1:18 to go before seniors Grace Hegland and Sophie Olmen combined to hit six-straight free throws in the final minute.

Kelly edged closer to the 1,000-point milestone by scoring a game-high 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field and 5-for-6 shooting at the free-throw line while also pulling down a game-high nine rebounds. Hegland finished with 16 points, including going 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, while Olmen and fellow senior Cassie Fix had 12 points apiece.

The Oles shot 47.3 percent (26-for-55) from the field and were 17-for-20 (85.0 percent) from the free-throw line while committing a season-low six turnovers in the win. St. Olaf owned a 28-14 advantage in points in the paint and outscored Saint Mary's by a 13-5 margin in fast-break points.

Brooklyn Paulson led three Saint Mary's scorers in double figures with 19 points while going 4-for-7 from three-point range. Ashley Streveler was 5-for-7 from behind the arc on her way to 15 points for the Cardinals, who shot a blistering 13-for-22 (59.1 percent) from long range as a team.

Both teams knocked down three three-pointers in the opening quarter, as Saint Mary's carried a 21-19 lead into the second. Streveler accounted for all three makes from long distance for the Cardinals, while three Oles hit a three-pointer in the quarter. The Cardinals held their largest lead of the game at 7-2 early on and led by two after 10 minutes despite a pair of late buckets by sophomore Ziling Zhen.

Saint Mary's never trailed in the second quarter but never led by more than four before taking a 37-34 halftime lead on a late three-pointer by Paulson. Paulson led all scorers at the half with 10, as the Cardinals were 6-for-10 from three-point range over the opening 20 minutes.

Early in the third quarter, St. Olaf took its first lead since the first quarter at 41-38 three minutes in after a three-pointer by Olmen and a transition layup by Kelly. The quick 5-0 spurt was part of a 17-5 extended run that gave the Oles their largest lead of the game at 53-43 with 2:18 left in the third.

After trailing 58-50 at the start of the fourth, Saint Mary's hit three-straight three-pointers – two by Graysin Hartjes – to open the final period and grab a 59-58 advantage. The fourth quarter featured six lead changes, as neither team led by more than three after the first minute of the quarter. Four-straight made free throws put the Cardinals up one, 68-67, with 1:45 to go before Kelly scored in the paint to give the Oles the lead for good.

Hegland and Olmen sealed the win at the free-throw line by making six-straight tries over the final 44 seconds. Hegland had nine of her 16 points in the fourth quarter to help St. Olaf hold off Saint Mary's in the eighth-straight meeting in the series to be decided by fewer than 10 points.

St. Olaf hosts Augsburg University on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. All youth are admitted free to the game as part of a celebration of National Girls & Women in Sports Day. There will also be free pizza, giveaways, a photo booth, and a poster signing with Ole student-athletes after the game.