NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women's basketball team held the lead after three quarters before the College of Saint Benedict came away with a 59-53 victory in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opener for both programs on Wednesday night at Skoglund Center.

St. Olaf (2-1, 0-1 MIAC) outscored Saint Ben's (5-1, 1-0 MIAC) by a 20-14 margin in the third quarter to take a 43-40 lead into the fourth, but the Bennies held the Oles to 10 points in the final 10 minutes to grab the six-point win. The six-point margin marked the closest final score between the two programs since a 63-59 overtime win for Saint Ben's on Nov. 19, 2022.

Sophomore Elise Hahn – the reigning MIAC Defensive Player of the Week – logged her second double-double in three games this season with a team-high 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for St. Olaf, shooting 4-for-6 from the field and 5-for-8 at the free-throw line. First years Erin Schauer and Hallie Koltz were also in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Megan Morgan led Saint Ben's with a game-high 18 points on 7-for-15 from the field, including going 3-for-6 from three-point range, and added eight rebounds. Lauren Arnold hit 11-of-12 free throws – most in the final minute – on a 15-point night for the visitors, who shot just 28.6 percent (18-for-63) from the field, compared to 41.7 percent (20-for-48) for the Oles. Saint Ben's turned 21 St. Olaf turnovers into 22 points to help offset the shooting differential.

Both teams shot under 25.0 percent from the field in a low-scoring opening quarter, as Saint Ben's took a 12-8 lead into the second. Morgan hit a layup and a three-pointer on the Bennies' first two possessions for a quick 5-0 lead. Saint Ben's limited St. Olaf to two field goals in the quarter.

Hahn scored four quick points to tie the game in the first minute-plus of the second quarter, but Saint Ben's broke a 14-14 tie with a mini 5-0 spurt go up 19-14. A fastbreak layup by Koltz with 1:58 to go in the first half put St. Olaf on top, 22-20, before three late free throws by Arnold gave the visitors a 26-23 halftime lead.

Schauer got going in the third, scoring 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting with a pair of three-pointers, to account for half of St. Olaf's scoring in the period. Schauer and Koltz combined for 14 of the Oles' 16 points in a 16-4 run over a four-minute stretch that resulted in St. Olaf's largest lead of the night at 41-35 with 2:27 left in the third.

Saint Ben's forced St. Olaf into nine turnovers in the fourth quarter and turned the miscues into a 10-0 advantage in points off turnovers to rally for the victory. Junior Bree Wilkerson hit a three-pointer with 1:55 remaining to cut a five-point deficit to two, but the Bennies got back-to-back stops after that and enough free throws from Arnold down the stretch to seal the win.

The Oles will be back at home on Saturday, Nov. 22 for a 1 p.m. tip-off against Central College.