NORTHFIELD, Minn. -- The Carleton College women's basketball team was a fraction of a second away from its biggest win at West Gym over the last several seasons, as the Knights nearly upset No. 19-ranked Augsburg University. A foul with 0.1 second remaining in regulation allowed the Auggies to tie the game, and the Knights eventually dropped a 97-90 overtime decision.
 
"A great game that really could have gone either way," said Carleton head coach Tammy Metcalf-Filzen. "It is the toughest we have battled all year. I'm very proud of the effort of our team. We continue to improve."

Carleton (7-12, 4-10 MIAC) posted a season-high point total thanks to the efforts of Katie Chavez (Sr./Westminster, Colo./Holy Family) and Aiana Whitfield (Fy./Richfield, Minn./Benilde St.-Margaret's), who combined for 43 points, and Jill Yanai (So./Glendale, Calif./Glendale), who finished two assists shy of a triple-double. Despite all five starters finishing in double figures, the Knights were still not able to match the offensive output of Augsburg (16-3, 12-2 MIAC).
 
Carleton appeared to be headed toward victory when, with just 2.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Chavez was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer. She headed to the line with her team trailing 79-77, but she calmly sank all three free throws and left that location with her team now leading 80-79.
 
However, after the following inbound play, the Auggies' Camryn Speese was fouled with just a 0.1 second remaining. She made the first free throw but missed the second, sending the game to overtime.
 
Augsburg hit its first three shots to begin the bonus period, scoring seven unanswered points to give the visitors their largest lead since early in the second half. A Chavez triple eventually cut the lead to 93-90 with 19 seconds remaining, but the Knights were unable to get any closer, as the Auggies closed the game out from the free throw line.
 
Carleton was able to force overtime against the No. 19 team in the country despite leading for only 22.3 seconds during regulation. In fact, the Knights did not take the lead at all until early in the fourth quarter, when an Anna Hughes' (Jr./Glenview, Ill./New Trier) triple put the Knights up 62-61.  Augsburg proceeded to go on a 7-2 run to restore its advantage and did not give up the lead again until Chavez's late-game heroics.
 
Carleton might not have even had the opportunity to send the game into overtime if not for a wild sequence with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Augsburg, up 73-67 at the time, was looking to put the game away, but Chavez was fouled away from the ball as a Yanai triple went through the rim, leading to two Chavez two free throws and the Knights' five-point trip down the floor. Augsburg converted a traditional three-point play on the other end to restore its lead to four, but Carleton immediately responded with a triple from Whitfield with 1:07 remaining. The teams traded points over the next minute, but Carleton still found themselves down 79-77 with less than a shot clock remaining, setting the stage for Chavez's trio of late free throws.
 
Augsburg's largest lead of the day was 14 points at 36-22 with 6:23 to go in the first half. Carleton answered with a 16-2 run to get back in to the game. The Auggies led by no more than seven points the rest of the way.
 
Chavez led the way for the Knights with 22 points, hitting four 3-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws along the way. Whitfield finished just behind her with 21 points, a new career-high, to go along with six rebounds and three steals. Yanai pulled down a career-best 18 boards to lead all players, and nearly finished with a triple-double thanks to 14 points and eight assists, with the latter also being a career- and game-high. Her 18 rebounds were the second-most by a Knight since 1995.
 
The other two Carleton players to reach double-digit scoring were Samantha Cooke (Sr./St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word Academy), who accounted for 12 points and Hughes, who chipped in 11.
 
The Knights drained 12 three-pointers on the day, one shy of the school record. Chavez and Whitfield both hit four, Hughes drained a pair, with Yanai and Erica Ellefson (Sr./Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) splitting the other two.
 
Speese led the visitors with her 29 points—eight of them coming in overtime—and 12 rebounds to post her second double-double of the season. Tamira McLemore also poured in 20 points for the Auggies, who retained their second-place standing in the MIAC.
 
Carleton's 90 points, 72 field goal attempts, 12 three-pointers, 27 free throw attempts, and 22 free throw makes were all season highs, allowing them to put up the most points any opponent has scored against No. 19 Augsburg this season. The Knights won the battle on the boards, out rebounding the Auggies 50-45 and 39-33 on the defensive glass.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTS: Carleton hits the road to face No. 23-ranked Gustavus Adolphus College on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m.