GRINNELL, Iowa – The St. Olaf College women's basketball team went cold in the fourth quarter of a 69-62 loss to Grinnell College to close out opening weekend on Saturday evening at Darby Gym.
St. Olaf (1-1) trailed Grinnell (2-0) by just two at the start of the fourth quarter but shot just 1-for-15 (6.7 percent) from the field over the final 10 minutes. Despite being limited to five fourth-quarter points, the Oles' defense kept them in the game, but the Pioneers escaped with the win after outscoring St. Olaf by a 30-18 score in the second half.
Sophomore
Chloee Smith shot 6-for-9 from the field, 4-for-6 from three-point range, and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line on her way to a game-high 20 points and seven rebounds for the St. Olaf. Senior
Sarah Tangen hit a pair of three-pointers and scored 11 points, while sophomore Emily Courchine was 5-for-5 at the charity stripe in a 10-point effort that was her first collegiate game in double figures.
Grinnell had six student-athletes score between seven and 12 points in a balanced attack and used a 46-29 advantage on the glass to claim the win. The Oles committed just seven turnovers but shot 33.3 percent (20-for-60) from the field on the evening.
St. Olaf shot 10-for-17 (58.8 percent) from the field in the opening quarter and led 25-22 after 10 minutes. Smith connected on all three of her shots, including two three-pointers, in the quarter, but the Oles' lead was just three after Grinnell hit 9-of-11 free throws to stay in touch.
Courchaine scored seven of her 10 points in the second quarter to help St. Olaf extend its lead to 44-39 at the break. Smith added six points in the second to lead all scorers with 14 points in a first half that included five ties and 14 lead changes. The Pioneers outscored the Oles by a 20-13 margin in the third to take a 59-57 lead into the fourth and made the lead stand up despite scoring just 10 points over the final 10 minutes.
St. Olaf will continue non-conference play at North Central University on Wednesday, Nov. 13 in a 7 p.m. start in Minneapolis.