ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Junior Paige Yagodinski matched her season high with 14 points for the St. Olaf College women's basketball team in a 72-52 loss to Bethel University in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) action on Saturday at Robertson Center.

Yagodinski went 3-for-7 from three-point range while adding a team-high six rebounds and team-best four steals for St. Olaf (2-11, 1-8 MIAC). The junior fueled an 11-4 start to the game for the Oles before Bethel (8-7, 6-4 MIAC) got going on its way to the 20-poin win.

Juniors Sarah Tangen and Ziling Zhen joined Yagodinski in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively, with Zhen adding four rebounds and four assists. St. Olaf turned the ball over 26 times, leading to advantages of 22-5 in points off turnovers and 44-20 in points in the paint for Bethel.

Anna Garfield led all scorers with 19 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the field and 5-for-5 shooting at the free-throw line for the Royals, who shot 43.1 percent (28-for-65) from the field despite going just 4-for-20 (20.0 percent) from behind the arc. Cally Peterson provided 17 points and six rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench for Bethel, while Emily Erickson contributed 13 points and eight boards.

Zhen started the scoring with a three-point play and Yagodinski drained a pair of early three-pointers to help St. Olaf to an 11-4 lead midway through the opening quarter for the Oles' largest lead of the game. Bethel answered with a 10-0 run before Yagodinski capped a seven-point opening quarter with a late free throw.

The Royals forced the Oles into 10 turnovers in the second quarter to extend their lead to 33-25 at the half. Bethel held its largest lead of the half at 33-20 with two minutes left in the quarter before St. Olaf scored the final five points of the half, with first year Joy Brandenstein beating the buzzer with a jumper from the right wing to make it an eight-point game at the half.

The hosts opened the third quarter on an 11-0 run, holding the Oles scoreless until a basket by senior Cayden Botten with 4:52 left in the quarter. Bethel extended its lead to as many as 22 in the third quarter, marking the Royals largest lead of the game. St. Olaf cut the deficit to 14 three times in the fourth quarter but was unable to get any closer.

The Oles return to Skoglund Center for a 4:45 p.m. start against the College of St. Scholastica on Monday, Jan. 15.