NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women's basketball team overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to pick up a 62-53 non-conference victory over Crown College on Tuesday evening at Skoglund Center.
After facing a 34-27 halftime, St. Olaf (4-2) outscored Crown (1-7) by a 35-19 margin in the second half to defeat the Polars for the second time this season. First year
Emmanuella Sennowo led four Oles in double figures with a season-high 14 points while shooting an efficient 4-for-6 from the field and 5-for-5 at the free-throw line.
In addition to Sennowo's 14-point evening, first year
Hallie Koltz and sophomore
Elise Hahn both had 13 points and both went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe. Hahn added 16 points for her fourth double-double in six games this season, while junior
Joy Brandenstein added 11 points of her own. As a team, St. Olaf shot 23-for-27 (85.2 percent) at the free-throw line, with the 23 made free throws being the team's highest total since going 24-for-30 in a 76-65 win over Bethel University on Feb. 11, 2023.
Crown opened the game with back-to-back three-pointers and knocked down 4-of-6 shots from behind the arc in the opening quarter to take a 23-21 lead after one. The early 6-0 lead was the largest for either team in the opening 10 minutes, as Sennowo had eight points in the quarter for St. Olaf.
After the high-scoring first quarter, the two teams combined for just 17 points in the second quarter, as the Polars took a 34-27 lead into the break after holding the Oles to six points in the quarter. After two free throws by Sennowo gave St. Olaf a 27-26 lead, Crown closed the quarter on an 8-0 run over the final 3:34.
The Oles started the third quarter on an 8-2 run over the first 2:50 to make it a one-point game after Hahn found Sennowo for a layup. After back-to-back baskets by Koltz and Hahn put St. Olaf on top in the final minute of the third, Jacee Glasgow hit a jumper in the closing seconds to send the teams to the fourth tied at 42-42.
After holding the Polars to eight third-quarter points, St. Olaf opened the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run to take its largest lead of the game at the time at 48-42 just 2:21 in. Brandenstein drained a three-pointer with 4:13 left to put the Oles up by eight before St. Olaf hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to close out the win.
The Oles will return to conference play with a 1 p.m. tip-off at Augsburg University on Saturday, Dec. 6 in Minneapolis.
