ST. PAUL, Minn. – In a game that determined the final spot in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs, the St. Olaf College women's basketball team stormed back from a 34-14 halftime deficit to defeat St. Catherine University, 58-46, on Saturday afternoon at the Butler Center.

After shooting just 4-for-28 (14.3 percent) from the field in the opening half, St. Olaf (14-11, 11-11 MIAC) shot 17-for-20 (85.0 percent) over the final 20 minutes to overcome the 20-point halftime deficit and clinch its first berth in the MIAC Playoffs under the six-team format since 2014. The tournament berth is the fifth in program history for the Oles, who previously appeared in 2002, 2012, 2014, and 2022 (all teams qualified last season).

As the No. 6 seed, St. Olaf will head to No. 3 seed Hamline University in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Feb. 21 for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The other quarterfinal sees No. 5 seed Bethel University visit the No. 4 seed College of Saint Benedict.

Senior Rachel Kelly scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season and her fourth in the last five games. Sophomore Paige Yagodinski added 14 points, five assists, and a career-high nine steals, while senior Cassie Fix reached double figures for the sixth time in seven games with 12 points and seven rebounds. Yagodinski's nine steals were the most by an Ole in a game since at least 2005 and the most by a MIAC student-athlete in a game this seaosn.

St. Olaf finished the game shooting at a 43.8 percent clip (21-for-48) from the field, including going 7-for-19 (36.8 percent) from three-point range in the win. The Oles' defense forced the Wildcats into 22 turnovers, leading to a 25-13 advantage in points off turnovers.

After Yagodinski opened the scoring with a fast-break layup, St. Kate's scored seven-straight points to grab an early lead. St. Olaf answered with a three-pointer from senior Grace Hegland and a layup by Kelly to tie the score, but Kelly's layup was the last point for the Oles for nearly 12 minutes, as the Wildcats opened up a 25-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

St. Kate's led by as many at 23 at 34-11 with 1:48 left in the half before Kelly made three free throws for the final points of the half. Sam Orth had 13 of her team-high 17 points in the opening half for the Wildcats, who shot 14-for-26 (53.8 percent) from the field in the first two quarters.

The Oles started their rally in the third quarter, outscoring the Wildcats by a 20-8 margin to trim their deficit to 42-34 after three quarters. Yagodinski had eight points and made two three-pointers in the quarter, including one with 3:17 left that brought St. Olaf within single digits at 40-31.