DULUTH, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women's basketball team cut a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to four before running out of time in a 60-52 loss to the College of St. Scholastica on Wednesday evening at Reif Gymnasium.

St. Scholastica (16-6, 11-4 MIAC) used a 13-2 run to build 56-43 lead inside the final four minutes before St. Olaf (5-17, 0-15 MIAC) went on a 9-0 run to make it a four-point game inside the final minute. The Saints held on late by making four consecutive free throws to complete a season sweep of the Oles and move closer to securing a spot in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs.

First year Erin Schauer knocked down three three-pointers as part of a team-high 15-point night for St. Olaf, which got 11 points, nine rebounds, and three assists from junior Bree Wilkerson. Sophomore Elise Hahn logged her ninth double-double of the season with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocked shots.

Ava Haus scored nearly half of St. Scholastica's points on the night, tallying 26 points on 9-for-23 from the field, 4-for-12 from three-point range, and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Evie Schmitz added 16 points as the duo accounted for 42 of the Saints' 60 points.

St. Olaf opened the game by making six of its first eight shots to build a 16-7 lead midway through the opening quarter as all five St. Olaf starters scored in the first five minutes. Down by seven, St. Scholastica scored the next six points to make it a three-point game. First year Norah Bickett added a three-pointer in the final two minutes of the quarter to help the Oles take a 19-15 lead into the second after St. Olaf shot 58.3 percent (7-for-12) from the field in the first.

In the second, the Saints held the Oles scoreless until a three-pointer by Wilkerson with 3:16 to go ended a 14-0 St. Scholastica run that put the hosts on top, 27-19. St. Olaf closed the second quarter on a 5-0 mini run on a three-pointer by Schauer and a jumper by Wilkerson to go into the break down just four at 31-27. 

St. Olaf cut St. Scholastica's lead to two points twice in the third quarter and again on a three-pointer by junior Joy Brandenstein 20 seconds into the fourth. The Saints responded by going on a 14-2 run over the span of nearly six minutes to open up their largest lead of the game at 56-43 with 3:36 to play. Bickett hit her second three-pointer of the game with two minutes to go as part of a 9-0 run that brought the Oles within four with 49 seconds left, but St. Scholastica made four free throws late to salt away the win. 

St. Olaf will be back at home on Saturday, Feb. 14 for a 1 p.m. start against Augsburg University.