MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women's basketball team overcame a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game three times but could not get over the hump in a 59-56 loss to Augsburg University on Saturday afternoon at Si Melby Hall.

After trailing by seven early in the fourth, St. Olaf (6-9, 0-8 MIAC) fought back to tie the game on three occasions, including twice in the final 2:20, but Augsburg (3-12, 1-7 MIAC) got a go-ahead jumper by Amira LaDuke with 31 seconds to go and held on to claim the win. After the Auggies split two trips to the line in the final 16 seconds, the Oles got a desperation shot at the buzzer to potentially force overtime.

Sophomore Chloee Smith posted her fifth 20-point performance of the season with 22 points, nine rebounds, three steals and one assist for St. Olaf, which led for over half of the 40-minute game. Smith was 7-for-14 from the field and 8-for-12 from the free-throw line. Senior Sophia Kormann was in double figures for the fifth game in a row with 14 points, five rebounds, three steals, and one blocked shot.

Lani Fonoti led Augsburg with 19 points on 8-for-18 shooting overall, including going 3-for-12 from three-point range, while Katie Manecke added 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting to go with three rebounds and four assists. LaDuke registered a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds for the hosts, who led for just over 14 minutes in the game.

Six points from Kormann and five from sophomore Joy Brandenstein helped St. Olaf to a 16-10 lead after the opening quarter. The Oles opened the game on a 7-0 run over the first 59 seconds, with senior Sarah Tangen kick-starting the run with a three-pointer on the opening possession. Brandenstein scored all five of her points in the span of 43 seconds midway through the quarter to give the Oles their largest lead of the game at 14-2.

Augsburg shaved three points off its deficit in the second quarter to trim St. Olaf's lead to 25-22 after a low-scoring first half. The Oles held a 23-14 lead midway through the quarter before being held to two points over the final 5:12.

Manecke got going in the third quarter for Augsburg, scoring nine points on 4-for-4 shooting, including a jumper in the paint in the closing seconds that sent the Auggies to the fourth with a 44-39 lead. In the fourth, St. Olaf used a 6-0 run to tie the game at 48-48 with 5:33 left before Augsburg reclaimed a five-point lead.

Smith scored 14 of the Oles' 17 points in the fourth quarter, including a layup with 2:16 to go that tied the score at 53-53 and two free throws with 1:40 left that evened the score at 55-55. After Smith's free throws, LaDuke hit a turnaround jumper with 31 seconds to go that proved to be the game-winning bucket.

St. Olaf will venture to Winona for a matchup with Saint Mary's University on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m.