NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Senior Rachel Kelly reached the 1,000-point milestone, but the St. Olaf College women's basketball team suffered a heart-breaking 83-81 loss at the buzzer in overtime to Macalester College on Wednesday evening at Skoglund Center.

Kelly became the sixth student-athlete in recorded program history to score 1,000 points in their career with a 24-point night for St. Olaf (11-11, 8-11 MIAC), which scored in the closing seconds of regulation to send the game to overtime and again in the final seconds of overtime to tie the score. Macalester (5-17, 4-15 MIAC), however, got a buzzer-beating jumper from Katherine Norquist from the free-throw line to finish off a regular-season sweep of the Oles.

The loss put a dent in St. Olaf's chances to secure a spot in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs, although the Oles remain in contention. St. Olaf and Augsburg University are both three games back of St. Catherine University for the final spot with three games to go.

Kelly entered the game needing nine points to reach the 1,000-point mark and did so with a three-point play late in the second quarter. The senior, who also moved up to third in program history with 413 made field goals in her career, finished the game with a double-double of a team-high 24 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists to lead four Ole seniors in double figures. Sophie Olmen had a season-high 16 points – one shy of her career high – on 7-for-9 shooting, Grace Hegland added 11 points and five rebounds, and Cassie Fix recorded 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Norquist and Peyton Starks combined for 56 points for the Scots, who also got 11 points off the bench from Caitlin Panos. Starks – the leading scorer in the conference – exploded for 34 points on 13-for-23 shooting and 12 rebounds for Macalester, while Norquist had 22 points on 9-for-19 shooting. Starks' 34 points are the most by a MIAC women's basketball student-athlete in a game this season.

Layups by Hegland and Kelly plus a three-pointer by Olmen gave St. Olaf a quick 7-0 lead to start the game before Macalester held the Oles scoreless for over six minutes. Starks had seven points in the opening quarter, including a jumper at the buzzer that gave the visitors a 13-11 lead after one.

After being limited to two points in the opening quarter, Kelly got going in the second, scoring 12 points in a 28-point quarter for St. Olaf that gave the Oles a 39-29 halftime lead. Leading 29-27 late in the quarter, St. Olaf closed the second on a 10-2 run that included eight points from Kelly, who hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Oles the 10-point halftime cushion.

St. Olaf matched its largest lead of the game at 10 twice early in the third quarter before Macalester whittled its deficit to two at 55-53 on a three-pointer by Andrea Palmen with 1:06 to go. Sophomore Sarah Tangen answered with a three-pointer of her own to help keep the Oles ahead after three, although the Scots trailed by just four at the start of the fourth after a 26-point quarter.

Starks sank back-to-back three-pointers to give Macalester its first lead since the first quarter at 65-62 with 5:50 remaining in regulation. Tangen gave the Oles a 68-67 lead with 3:01 left and St. Olaf led 69-68 inside the final minute before Panos drained a three-pointer with 27 seconds to go to put the Scots on top, 71-69. After a St. Olaf turnover and two missed free throws by Macalester, Olmen drove to the hoop for the game-tying basket with four seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.

Norquist started the overtime with a three-pointer to give Macalester the lead and Solana Cushing added one of her own with 1:59 on the clock to give the visitors a 79-75 cushion. The Oles hung around, however, getting layups from Kelly and Olmen to stay within two in the final minute. Trailing 81-79 inside the final 30 seconds, St. Olaf got a stop before sophomore Paige Yagodinski was fouled after an offensive rebound. Yagodinski sank both free throws to tie the game, but, out of a timeout, Norquist hit a free-throw-line jumper as the horn went off to end the game.

St. Olaf hosts Bethel University on Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 3 p.m.