NORTHFIELD, Minn. – First year Erin Schauer scored a career-high 29 points as the St. Olaf College women's basketball team was edged, 69-65, by crosstown-rival Carleton College on Saturday afternoon at West Gym.

With her team down to eight healthy student-athletes due to injuries and illness, Schauer exploded for 29 points for St. Olaf (5-6, 0-4 MIAC), but Carleton (5-6, 2-2 MIAC) got 55 combined points from Liesl McCallum and Addy Huss to rally for the win in the fourth quarter. The Oles held a 49-48 lead after three quarters before the Knights, who retained the President's Cup with the win, outscored their visitors by five over the final 10 minutes.

Schauer easily surpassed her previous season-high total of 16 points with the highest scoring output by an Ole in 2,241 days dating back to K'Lynn Lewis' 32-point performance against Buena Vista University on Nov. 15, 2019. Schauer shot 9-for-20 from the field, 4-for-11 from three-point range, and 7-for-9 from the free-throw line on her 29-point afternoon.

Junior Joy Brandenstein was the only other Ole in double figures with a season-high 17 points – one shy of her career high – on 6-for-13 shooting, including going 3-for-4 from behind the arc. First year Norah Bickett was 3-for-7 from three-point range to score nine points for her highest output of the season. Sophomores Grace Gertner and Glory Johanson helped the Oles to a 40-30 advantage on the glass by combining for 19 rebounds.

McCallum and Huss combined to shoot 23-for-39 (59.0 percent) from the field while the rest of the Carleton roster shot just 6-for-24 (25.0 percent) in the game. McCallum was 12-for-22 from the field on her way to a 29-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Huss shot 11-for-16 while tallying 26 points, seven rebounds, three assists, four steals, and two blocked shots. The Knights scored 54 of their 69 points in the paint and attempted just six three-pointers in the win.

In a back-and-forth first quarter that included four ties and four lead changes, St. Olaf held the largest lead of the quarter at 13-9 with 2:32 remaining on a layup by Gertner. Carleton answered with a 6-0 run to go back on top before junior Kaia Krocak tied the game with a jumper in the final minute.

The Knights started the second quarter with a 6-2 spurt and led for nearly nine minutes in the quarter before carrying a 32-28 advantage into the halftime break. Carleton led by as many as six in the final two-plus minutes of the second before Gertner hit a layup at the buzzer to make it a four-point game at the break. McCallum (13) and Huss (11) combined for 24 of the Knights' 32 first-half points, 28 of which came in the paint.

St. Olaf shot 50.0 percent (8-for-16) from the field as a team in a 21-point third quarter that gave the Oles a one-point lead heading to the fourth. Carleton built its largest lead of the game at 42-32 with 6:15 to go in the third before Schauer and Bickett hit three-pointers to start an 8-0 run out of a St. Olaf timeout that made it a two-point game. Schauer scored 11 points in the quarter before Brandenstein scored the final five to put the Oles ahead by one after three.

Schauer and McCallum scored 13 points apiece to carry the load offensively for their teams in the fourth quarter. A three-point play by Schauer with 8:39 to go gave the Oles their largest lead of the game at 55-50, but the Knights held St. Olaf to two points over the next four-plus minutes as part of an 11-2 run. Schauer drilled a three-pointer to tie the game at 65-65 with 2:15 to play before Huss broke the tie with the go-ahead layup with 33 seconds on the clock. McCallum – a 61 percent free-throw shooter on the season – drained a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining to make it a four-point game and seal the victory.

St. Olaf will continue a three-game road stretch with a trip to Gustavus Adolphus College on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m.