NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women's basketball team cut a 19-point deficit late in the third quarter to six early in the fourth before the College of Saint Benedict held on for a 63-52 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) victory on Wednesday evening at Skoglund Center.

Saint Ben's (12-6, 7-4 MIAC) led 51-32 inside the final four minutes of the third quarter before St. Olaf (6-12, 0-11 MIAC) went on a 15-2 run to get within six with 6:15 to go. That was as close as the Oles got, however, as the Bennies scored the game's next seven points to reclaim a 13-point lead.

Sophomore Chloee Smith, who was named the MIAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, extended her streak of 20-point outings to four with a game-high 20 points on 9-for-15 shooting, including going 2-for-4 from three-point range, for St. Olaf. Smith also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to go with three assists, three blocked shots, and two steals.

Sophomore Joy Brandenstein matched a career high with four made three-pointers, going 4-for-7 from behind the arc on her way to 14 points and handed out three assists. The 14-point performance was Brandenstein's sixth game in double figures this season. Senior Sarah Tangen added nine points and three assists.

Sophia Jonas and Olivia Boily scored 15 points apiece to lead the way for Saint Ben's, with Jonas doing all of her damage from three-point range by going 5-for-15. Boily was 7-for-9 from the field, while Lauren Arnold and Kira Young were also in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Young pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for a double-double. The Bennies held a 21-6 advantage in points off turnovers in the win.

Layups by Tangen and Kormann on back-to-back possessions gave St. Olaf a 4-3 lead 1:15 in, but Saint Ben's grabbed the lead with a 6-0 run and never relinquished the lead. The Oles shot 50.0 percent (5-for-10) from the field and got six points from Smith in the first quarter but trailed 15-12 after one.

Saint Ben's opened up a 35-22 halftime lead after shooting 50.0 percent (9-for-18) overall in a 20-point second quarter. A three-pointer by Brandenstein with 2:56 to go in the quarter brought the Oles within five before the Bennies scored the final eight points of the period to carry a 13-point lead into the break.

The visitors led by at least 13 for the duration of the third quarter and pushed their lead to 51-32 with 3:27 to go before Smith scored the final four points of the period. Brandenstein led the Oles' rally in the fourth quarter by hitting three consecutive three-pointers to bring St. Olaf within six with 6:15 to play. Saint Ben's halted St. Olaf's surge with a 7-0 run over the next 2:15 to extend its lead back to 13.

The Oles will be back at the Skoglund Center against St. Catherine University on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 3 p.m.