NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College women's basketball team led No. 6-ranked University of St. Thomas early in the fourth quarter, but the Tommies got hot and pulled away for a 63-45 victory. Jill Yanai (So./Glendale, Calif./Glendale) poured in a career-best 27 points to pace the Knights.
 
A free throw by Erica Ellefson (Sr./Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) gave Carleton (2-3, 0-1 MIAC) a 39-38 lead with 9:30 remaining in the contest, but St. Thomas (5-0, 2-0 MIAC) put together a 21-0 run over the next seven minutes to seize control of the contest.
 
"We played very well for much of the night, but St. Thomas is one of the best teams in the country and they can do a lot of damage in a short span," said Carleton head coach Tammy Metcalf-Filzen. "Once they opened things up, we just couldn't get back in it.
 
"I'm very pleased with our effort, especially coming off of final exams. We'll keep working hard and getting better."
 
The Tommies started the game on fire, making 6-of their first-7 shots and opening up an early 17-6 lead with 4:20 left in the first quarter.
 
Yanai and Katie Chavez (Sr./Westminster, Colo./Holy Family) outscored St. Thomas 15-2 over the next five-plus minutes as the Knights moved in front, 21-19 early in the second period. Yanai had 18 points in the first half, 11 of them coming during this rally.
 
Aiana Whitfield (Fy./Richfield, Minn./Benilde St.-Margaret's) converted two free throws shortly before halftime, giving Carleton a 30-29 lead entering intermission.
 
Points were hard to come by in the third quarter, and neither team scored during a four-minute stretch in the middle of the stanza. Yanai's triple shortly before the third quarter expired knotted the game up at 38-38 heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
Ellefson made 1-of-2 free throws on the first possession of the final period, giving the Knights their last lead of the evening, but it was all St. Thomas the rest of the way as the visitors outscored their hosts by a 25-7 margin in the fourth quarter. The Tommies made 7-of-10 shots—including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc—while Carleton went 1-of-12 overall and 0-of-6 from long range in the period.
 
Amber Darge led three St. Thomas players in double figures, scoring 11 of her team-high 19 points in the second half, including six consecutive points during the game-changing run. Macy Hatlestad and Shayla Wallin added 14 and 10 points, respectively.
 
St. Thomas shot 50 percent overall from the field, including 10-of-17 (59 percent) from beyond the arc. Carleton connected on 36 percent of its shots and was 3-of-13 (23 percent) from three-point range.
 
Yanai was the lone Knight in double figures, but Samantha Cooke (Sr./St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word Academy) contributed eight points, four rebounds, three blocked shots, and a steal.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTS: Carleton will take a break for the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to action with a 7 p.m. tipoff at Bethel University on Wednesday, Dec. 4.