MANKATO, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women's basketball team closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 68-57 road loss to Bethany Lutheran College on Wednesday afternoon at North Gym.

After trailing by 19 at the start of the fourth quarter, St. Olaf (5-5) cut its deficit to eight with 3:47 remaining before Bethany Lutheran (3-9) held on to snap its six-game losing streak. Despite the loss, the Oles finished with a 5-2 record in their seven non-conference games this season.

Junior Joy Brandenstein led St. Olaf with a season-high 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting, including going 2-for-4 from three-point range, to go with four rebounds and a team-high four assists. The 16-point performance was the junior's fifth double-digit scoring game in a row.

First year Erin Schauer and sophomore Elise Hahn were also in double figures, with Schauer recording 14 points on 5-for-11 shooting and a career-high six steals. Hahn tallied 11 points and six rebounds, while sophomore Grace Gertner neared a double-double with eight points and a career-high eight rebounds. St. Olaf got just six points from its bench in the loss, compared to 26 for Bethany Lutheran.

Kenadi Arndt scored a game-high 19 points on 8-for-17 shooting to lead the way for the hosts, who got 14 points off the bench from Morgan Hulke. Five other Vikings scored between five and seven points to help Bethany Lutheran overcome a 19-turnover afternoon.

Despite being held to two points over the first four-plus minutes, St. Olaf trailed by just three at 13-10 after one quarter before Bethany Lutheran opened up a 36-22 halftime lead by outscoring the Oles by a 23-12 margin in the second. The Vikings shot 62.5 percent (10-for-16) from the field in the second, led by an eight-point quarter from Arndt.

Bethany Lutheran extended its lead to 56-37 after three quarters with a 20-point third quarter. After trailing by 20 twice in the first two-plus minutes of the fourth, St. Olaf held the Vikings scoreless for over four minutes as part of a 12-0 run that culminated in a three-pointer by Schauer that made it 61-53 with 3:47 remaining. The hosts made 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to hold off the Oles, who enjoyed an 11-2 advantage in points off turnovers in the fourth after forcing the Vikings into eight miscues. Gertner scored all eight of her points over the final 10 minutes.

St. Olaf will return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play with a 1 p.m. tip-off at Carleton College on Saturday, Jan. 3.